


The Yellow Brick Road

by kmarzski, vanishedSchism



Category: Homestuck
Genre: F/M, Helmsman, M/M, Originally a roleplay, Slavery, mindcontrol
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-11
Updated: 2015-10-05
Packaged: 2018-02-12 16:49:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 14
Words: 50,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2117418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kmarzski/pseuds/kmarzski, https://archiveofourown.org/users/vanishedSchism/pseuds/vanishedSchism
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One does not escape from Her Imperious Condescension's ship. This goes double if one is a powerful psionic directly descended from the current engine. </p><p>It's hard to have infamous Ancestors. It's hard, and nobody understands.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Sollux steadfastly avoided looking at the helm, instead examining the dials and meters on the engine-reading instruments. Of course, they were all off right now because this was only a secondary helm for training, punishment, and also spare energy storage. This one didn't fuel the main ship, and he wasn't currently hooked up. In fact, other than the drug running through his system to reduce his psionics to nothing more than painful shocks and the shackles around his wrists, his movement wasn't actually impaired at all. Though, that didn't mean he was off the hook. He'd been thrown in here with the promise of "punishment" after attempting to escape - and causing one or two casualties in the process. He looked toward the door. Whoever came into the room to retrieve him, they wouldn't be friendly, and they wouldn't have nice things in mind. The dried, varied shades of yellows and browns on the floor confirmed that. He backed up as the door opened.

Eridan Ampora stalked into the room, nursing the injured arm that this pathetic lowblood had dared inflict on him. He glared daggers at Sollux upon entry, inordinately thrilled at the latter's degrading position. Finally, the higher-ups had taken notice of the disobedient landwellers this generation had spawned and were taking action against it. "wwell, lowwblood, isn’t this a nice turn of evvents. after nearly shearing my arm off wwith your cheap parlor tricks, you’re finally getting your reward. though, to be fair, your real punishment wwill be much better than this simple task. take it from me, you’ll be begging for the end by the time wwere finished wwith you"

Oh, it's just him. Sollux straightened up as the seadweller strode into the room. He noted with pleasure how the other was cradling his arm. "ii'm 2orry; ii didn't thiink parlor triick2 could be 2o dangerou2. maybe you 2hould be a liittle more careful about where you 2tand next tiime." Of course, he wasn't completely unaffected by the threat, but he refused to give this seadweller the pleasure of seeing him afraid. In the back of his mind, he wondered what the task would be, and the punishment.

Eridan sneered in reply, glad that, beneath his rival's bravado, there was just a hint of listlessness and suppressed pain. The drugs seemed to be doing their job, then. "spare me the lecture, mustard blood. you did it on purpose, aiming for me. youvve alwways been jealous, but i hadnt realized wwhat a masochist you wwere. you had to knoww that this wwhole escape attempt wwas useless. lowwbloods havve no place defying the hemospectrum, obvviously" He suppressed the juvenile urge to stick out his tongue in defiance. It was beneath him, of course.

His jaw clenched, but he rolled his eyes. "iif ii wa2 aiimiing for you, you'd be dead. ii thiink that's clear enough." He actually had aimed for Ampora, because after the initial blast (that was what had caused the casualties) he had tried to disable the most dangerous highbloods there. And the seadweller was, in fact, one of the most dangerous.

He didn't bother responding to the “uselessness of his attempt” comment. It was mostly a spur of the moment decision, and, really, he should have planned it far better. Maybe it was useless, but, even if he wasn't, it was safer to make the seadweller think he wouldn't attempt it again. He just didn't want to look totally complacent either.

"wwhatevver. its not like you can actually do anything. havve fun wwith your punishment" He turned to leave, ready to go punt a troll puppy or whatever it is Amporas do in their spare time, when a thought suddenly occurred to him. One to really drive the knife home to his would-be kismesis. "and by the wway, you should knoww that the higher-ups havve started hunting your useless friends: karkat, nepeta, kanaya, and anyone else supportivve of that mutants blood-equality drivel. and i hear theyre closing in. wwont be long noww until theyre here wwith you for a short time, but, unlike you, they dont havve any harvvestable psychic abilities. i imagine theyll be executed soon enough dont you?"

Sollux glared at the seadweller's back as the other turned, and continued glaring as he began talking. Until Eridan mentioned his friends, at least. Then his eyes widened a little for a moment and he stiffened. His eyes quickly narrowed back into a glare, more potent than before, but he stayed tense.

"that'2 a liie, and you know iit," he said, his voice level. Karkat would never let himself be captured or killed; he'd spent sweeps avoiding that fate already, and he could manage it a little longer. Chances were, Eridan was bluffing to get a reaction out of him, but if he was telling the truth... it didn't matter, it wasn't the truth. Karkat, his friends, and their followers could take care of themselves.

A self-satisfied smile painted itself onto Eridan's face. It was so cute: Sollux's care for his friends. It made him weak. "fine, don't take my word for it. i'm just trying to prepare you for the inevitable. and believe me, it is inevitable" His grin grew ever wider as he spoke, as the words took effect on Sollux. Simply exhilarating. "after all look at our ancestors. all of the mutants brood died then and theyll die again. and youll be left here, friendless, wwaiting for death just like the helmsman. But, personally, i think your ancestor got the better end of the deal. after all, _he_ didnt brutally cull his owwn redrom crush, noww did he?"

"we are _not_ our ancestor2, a22hole. ii thought your faiiled quadrant with 2piiderbiitch proved that beyond a doubt. and at lea2t my flu2hcru2h diidn't run away 2creamiing when ii talked two her about iit." He couldn't afford to be sensitive about Aradia anymore. He still hated himself for it, but some things had to stay in the past. The popular lore about descendants repeating the paths of their ancestors, though…that was something he thought about often, and would prefer not to think about at all. He was not going to end up as a Helmsman. He'd do anything to avoid that eventuality.

Eridan prickled at that accusation. How dare he...Eridan shook his head in disgust. "you imbecile. firstly mine, and vvriskas relationship is a perfect mirror of dualscars and the marquises; learn your history. secondly, feferi got wwhat she deservved in the end. the little slut. dont think i dont knoww wwhat you twwo wwere doing in that horn pile. and wwith a troll wwith blood as filthy as yours…and thirdly, fuck you" He took a deep breath to steady himself. To think that he could be driven to such foul words. "youre going to havve to tame that tongue of yours or lose. it our current Helmsman learned that early on, and so should his successor" He paused for a moment. Damn it. Now wasn't the right time. "oh, my. i seem to havve ruined your surprise punishment. wwell, youll just havve to act dumbfounded wwhen they tell you later. its not like you havvent had enough practice wwith stupid expressions"

"a2 iif ii care about your fucking hii2tory." A cocky grin spread over his lips as he mentioned Feferi. Of course, what happened to her was terrible, and really their relationship had been a lot paler than anyone knew or expected, but he had gotten Eridan riled up; he just needed to press the issue. "after all, iif you want to briing FF iinto iit, there'2 proof enough that your preciiou2 hi2tory i2 meaniingle22. there ii2 no po22iible way my ance2tor would have been gettiing na2ty in a horn piile wiith the Empre22." Again: not that they ever did anything, but that was for effect.

He opened his mouth for a snarky reply, but just gaped for a moment. Fuck. It's not like he hadn't known this was coming, that was the reason he'd tried to escape after all, but fuck. He thought he'd have more time than this. Snark. That's right, disarm fishfuck, think about the Helm later. "ii learned from, you fii2hface."

Eridan reached for his weapon that just wasn't there. "you little..." But he was cut off by a resounding voice from the corridor beyond. "VWHAT DO YOU THINK YOURE DOING DESCENDANT?" Dualscar. Eridan backed away from the doorway instinctually. Shit. What was he doing here?

The lumbering form of the ancestor filled the doorway. Armed with Ahab's Crosshairs, he truly was a frightening sight, even for Eridan. "i wwas just pestering the lowwblood, sir. he injured me before-" "AND WVHOSE FAULT WAS THAT?" Dualscar thundered in return. Eridan shrunk back. "GET OUT" The small troll stumbled over his cape in his haste to escape the room, nearly face-planting at the feet of his ancestor. Glub, how embarrassing. With the disgrace to all highbloods out of the room, Dualscar turned his attention to Sollux. "SO, MY USELESS DESCENDANT REGALED YOU ON YOUR FUTURE POST. YOU SHOULD FEEL HONORED THAT ONE AS LOVW AS YOU CAN SERVWE SUCH AN AUSPICIOUS POSITION. THE HELMSMAN GROWWS WVEAKER EACH DAY: HIS LIFE WAS NOT MEANT TO BE PROLONGED SO. BUT NOWV VWE HAVE YOU. YOUR ARRIVAL CAN BE SAID TO DESTINY AT VWORK"

Sollux sneered at Eridan, happy to see his jibes hit their marks, but the expression fell off his face as he heard the voice in the hallway. Eridan wasn't the only one backing up as the Orphaner walked into the room.

"don't even pretend iit'2 an honor," he said, his voice far meeker than he'd like. "ii'd much rather have my iindiiviidual part2 unceremoniiou2ly to22ed iin a dump2ter than get anywhere near that. iif iit wa2 2uch an iillu2triou2 po2iitiion, you'd fiind a hiighblood to fiill iit."

Dualscar chuckled darkly. Breaking this one's spirit would be a joy and a privilege. "YOU ARE SO MUCH MORE LIKE YOUR ANCESTOR THAT MY DESCENDANT IS TO ME, BUT DO YOU KNOWV HOVW WVE CURBED THE HELMSMAN'S RAUCCOUS SPIRIT?" He leaned in closer. "BY PRESENTING HIM VWITH THE CORPSES OF FRIENDS" The towering figure stepped back. "AND WVE'RE VWELL ON OUR WAY IN THAT REGARD. LITTLE AMPORA IS MISINFORMED AS ONE OF THE LITTLE REBELS IS ALREADY SAFELY ENSCONCED HERE. CAN YOU GUESS WVHICH?"

Sollux was almost positive the seadweller could hear his vascular pump beating as the ancestor leaned in. He never, ever, wanted to be that close to him again, especially when talking about Sollux’s similarities to his ancestor. He'd get out of this. Somehow, he would. Escape and go join Karkat in their revolution. Or maybe he could convince his friend to just hide for the rest of their lives. Completely reject their so called fate.

He stiffened. Presenting him with the corpses of his friends. That sounded terrible. Sollux did not want to see any dead bodies. "you're bluffiing." Please be bluffing.

"PERHAPS YOU REQUIRE A DEMONSTRATION A PREVWIEVW OF YOUR GRAND FINALE" He turned toward the corridor. "I SEE YOU DESCENDANT, SNIWVELLING AT THE DOOR LIKE A COVWARD. YOU HEARD WVAT VWAS SAID. BRING HER. THE CULLING BEGINS TONIGHT" How that miserable genetic waste was in any way related to him defied logic. The only thing keeping Eridan from a vicious culling was the richness of his blood. Nothing else. Dualscar waited in silence, staring intently at the young future Helmsman, watching for cracks in his control, for weakness. Before long, Eridan scampered back into the room followed by two imperial drones and a small form in their arms. She was so small between them, her dark green blood flowing freely from a dozen places. Her starlight skin faded into a dull glow. "JUST LIKE OLD TIMES, DOLOROSA"

Sollux met the Orphaner's gaze for as long as he could, but those were predatory eyes, and they reminded him just how small he was. He broke eye contact just as Kanaya was being walked toward them.

He bit his lip as he saw the condition she was in. Kanaya had never looked small to him before. She's always been cool and composed, even in the most ridiculous of situations, but now... "KN," he said, his voice soft, trying to express what he was feeling as he looked at her without using dangerous, monitored words. He couldn't show weakness. Aside from that quiet word, he didn't speak: just frowned a little as he looked at her.

How had they found her? Did they have anyone else? Would Karkat be stupid enough to try and rescue her? Not stupid enough, certainly, but possibly noble enough. That was just the kind of thing that he'd do.

"WVHAT NOTHING TO ADD LITTLE HELMSMAN? NO QUIPS OR QUERIES?" Killing the green blooded wench had been a treat the first time when his kismesis had needed disciplining. But they had been mature trolls then. How much more delightful would the culling be a second time around, especially when dealing with mere children? He equipped his weapon and strolled toward the girl. "LEAVWE US" he ordered the drones, who immediately melted into the shadows. Without her supports, Kanaya would have fallen if Dualscar's cruel hand were not there, grasping her tattered clothes and hoisting her into the air. She hung there limply, barely able to move. "Sollux..." she muttered. "PERHAPS NOT AS CUTTING AS WVANTAS' DEATH, BUT THIS VWILL HAVE TO SUFFICE FOR NOWV. VWATCH CAREFULLY, LITTLE HELMSMAN" He raised his weapon with gusto, watching not the dying girl but the trembling psionic, relishing the latter’s anguish.

Sollux took a couple steps toward Kanaya as soon as he saw the Orphaner raise his weapon and bristled as Dualscar grabbed her, lifting her into the air. "let her go," he growled. "and ii'm not your fuckiing Helm2man." He clenched his teeth, trying to channel his fear into anger. He could use that. He had to do something, he couldn't just freeze up.

It sounded like they didn't have Karkat though, maybe didn't even know where he was, and that gave him enough hope and confidence to steady himself and think. Ampora would kill her if he didn't do something. Ampora would kill her if he did do something. Therefore, the something he did had to disable the Orphaner's ability to kill her. That, or turn his attentions to Sollux.

Sollux was pretty sure at some point someone had told him it was entirely idiotic to step in front of a charged weapon, but the circumstances called for idiocy. He ran pretty much straight into Ahab's Crosshairs, desiring two effects. If the weight of his body (minuscule as that was) could knock the weapon so it was no longer aimed at Kanaya, and if he could grab the weapon….maybe he could use the little psionics he'd been left with to disable it. Sollux doubted he could melt it or anything, but couldn't discount the possibility that he'd manage to do something.

He lunged for the gun.

Sollux managed to surprise Dualscar, jerking the weapon slightly from his grip, but that was as far as his small victory went. Enraged by the interruption, Dualscar dropped Kanaya and knocked Sollux across the room with his newly freed hand. "INSOLENT BRAT..." He stalked toward the fallen Sollux as Eridan struggled to free himself from Kanaya, who had fortunately landed on him in the confusion. "get off me, lowwblood. youre getting blood on my cape and-" But his whining was cut short by the white hand that shot up and covered his mouth. Eyes burning in anger and pain, Kanaya snarled at her adversary, a throaty roar against all of his injustices, and latched a pair of sharp jaws onto his throat.

The blow picked Sollux up off his feet and landed him about halfway across the room. He was just getting to his knees when he heard Kanaya's snarl. Well, she was alive enough to fight, which was good. She'd looked nearly dead a second ago. He would have gotten up to try and help her, but he had problems of his own.

He watched Dualscar as he attempted to get to his feet.

It was quite difficult for Dualscar to reign in his anger enough to avoid smiting Sollux on the spot. He was under strict orders. This one was meant for a higher purpose, after all. The lowblood stumbled to his feet, his eyes crackling faintly in multi-colored hues as he attempted to gather his psychic abilities. Pathetic. Dualscar slammed him against the wall, cracking the hard surface, and forced his weapon under the weakened psionic's jaw. "WVHAT DO YOU THINK YOURE DOING, LITTLE LOVWBLOOD? THAT HUMAN DISEASE 'FRIENDSHIP' MUST BE POTENT INDEED IF IT MAKES YOU ACT THIS STUPIDLY." He increased the pressure on Sollux's windpipe, causing the latter to gasp and struggle for breath. A flash of movement and a sharp barb to the shoulder. Dualscar howled in anguish, dropping Sollux to the ground, and reached toward the projectile lodged in his back. He pulled it out in one painful motion, rich purple blood flowing past his clenched fingers, only to find a jagged troll horn. One resembling his own. He looked toward his descendant, and was shocked (though not particularly upset) to see Eridan lying in an ocean of his own blood, both horns torn off, leaving jagged stumps to adorn his head. And above him stood the murderous image of a Rainbow Drinker. Kanaya Maryam. Purple blood dripped from her scowling face and coated her tattered clothes, smeared her glowing skin. In one hand, she held the second of Eridan's horns. In the other, a tube of green lipstick the guards hadn't thought dangerous enough to garner repossession.

Sollux slumped against the wall as Dualscar bashed him against it, hard enough to crack the smooth surface. He wouldn't be surprised if a couple of his bones had fractured along with the wall behind him, but his ears were currently ringing too much to tell. Ahab's Crosshairs forced his head up, forced him to look at Dualscar. Yeah, that friendship thing probably was a disease, but it had made his life better and happier for a long time, too. He wouldn't give it up for anything. At the moment, it didn't look like he had to because, unlike the Orphaner, he recognized the rev of a chainsaw. Had he been able to breathe at that moment, Sollux would have smiled, but just then, he was a little occupied with just trying to oxygenate his cells.

He fell to the ground, coughing as the Orphaner dealt with the barb in his shoulder. Sollux couldn't actually see what she'd done to Eridan, nor did he even know that she'd managed to free herself, but Sollux did get the sense that if the Orphaner turned his attention to his friend, it would all be over. With that in mind, he crawled toward Dualscar's shoe, put his hands on it, and channeled as much of his psionic energy as he could access into the seadweller's foot.

Dualscar’s lip curled as he felt the light pressure of the weakened psionic attempting to throw him off with some light red-blue static. However, a light kick was enough to throw off the small descendant, though not enough to satisfy his rage at being “attacked” by one of such low blood. But the drugged up mustardblood wasn’t the real threat here. Dualscar stalked toward the jade girl, ignoring the steady stream of blood painting his back with a bit of effort. Kanaya hissed at him as he approached, uncapping her lipstick to reveal the whirring chainsaw Eridan knew so well. The little Aquarius had stopped moving, his breath coming in shallow passes. It wouldn't be long now. But then, Dualscar never had cared much for his useless descendant. Kanaya spat out a globule of purple blood before Dualscar's feet. She grimaced and wiped her mouth with the side of her arm. "I Never Thought I Would Be Desperate Enough To Actually Partake Of Such A Sickening Draught, But Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures, I Suppose." Despite this nonchalance, Dualscar noticed that the troll's arms were shaking as she held her weapon. The blood may have woken her from her stupor, but it had by no means healed her. She was still ripe for the culling. "YOU SHOULDN'T HAWVE DONE THAT, MIDBLOOD. HAD YOU STAYED COMPLACENT, I MIGHT HAVWE GIWVEN YOU AN EASY DEATH. BUT NO MORE."

He raised his riflekind to his shoulders and released a massive spray of gunfire on his enemy. Kanaya darted to the side then raced head-on toward the massive form of her enemy, eyes filled with fire and murder. She threw Eridan's horn like a throwing knife straight at Dualscar's head, forcing him to duck to the side. The rainbow drinker used the opportunity to steal forward and would have given his leg a close shave had not Dualscar’s fist come to its defense. Kanaya retreated a step, but continued her onslaught in the next moment. Dualscar may have been the more experienced fighter, but his was a long-range weapon, ill-suited for the close combat that Kanaya's chainsaw favored. This left the infamous ancestor on the defensive, forcing him to dodge her blows when he could, block with Ahab's crosshairs when he couldn't. Both sides took minor injuries with each passing second: a misplaced blow here, an errant slice there, but it seemed as though the two were evenly matched. That is, until Kanaya lost focus for a mere second, as pain and weariness collided, giving the Orphaner the opportunity he needed. Landing a solid kick to her core, Dualscar sent the injured troll flying, crashing her into the wall with a heart-wrenching crack. The ancestor cursed as the dozens of little chainsaw bites gnawed on his skin. He walked toward the fallen rainbow drinker, a slight limp to his step. Kanaya struggled for her weapon, somehow managing to stand and make a half-hearted charge toward her adversary, but Dualscar caught her hands in his own and wrenched the weapon from her grasp. Pinning her arms above her head, he slammed Kanaya into the wall, and pierced her stomach with the pointed barrel of his weapon. Kanaya froze in grimace of indescribable pain, tears flowing down her white cheeks. "...Ro.....Rose........." Dualscar pulled the trigger.

Sollux managed to get back up sometime around the time Kanaya began speaking, and just hearing her voice made him feel, for a brief moment, that everything was going to be okay.

He watched in amazement as Kanaya battled with the Orphaner. They seemed to be evenly matched, and there was just the slightest chance that Kanaya could actually pull this off...

Sollux wanted to step in and help, but he had no illusions about his uselessness. He had no weapon and very little physical strength, he'd just get in the way.

He gasped as he saw the Orphaner gain the upper hand and his friend's body flew across the room, standing frozen as Kanaya made her last charge, even when the sea dweller intercepted her and pinned her against the wall.

"KN!" he screamed as the barrel pierced her stomach then watched in horror as she was consumed by the flash of white he knew too well. There was no saving her now; the jade blood spattered on the wall proved that.

Breathing heavily, Dualscar stepped back, removing his weapon from the corpse. Everything within a ten foot radius had been covered with jade blood, adding to the layers of rusts, crimsons, and mustards that already adorned the room. Dualscar curled his lip in disgust and shook the green grime from his weapon. This was a job for the Subjuggalators, not the seadwelling aristocracy. He turned toward the mustard blood, the one for whom this whole exercise had been committed, and the grief-stricken look on the other's face helped assuage Dualscar's pride, if only a little. But before either could speak, the ship beneath their feet began tilting ever so slightly. A flurry of activity exploded in the corridor beyond: voices shouting, orders being bellowed. Something must have happened. The Helmsman.....Dualscar stalked toward the frozen mustard blood and shoved him toward the door. Playtime was over. "CHANGE OF PLANS, LOVWBLOOD. LOOKS LIKE YOUR PROMOTION HAS BEEN MOWVED UP"


	2. Chapter 2

Sollux noticed, but paid no attention to, the sudden barrage of sound outside. Kanaya had literally been shot through the stomach. She was gone. Just a green stain on the walls. She was _gone_ and this was the real world. Trolls didn't come back anymore. He would have gaped at the wall for a much longer time had Dualscar's rough hand not shoved him forward. As it was, he was forced to think about moving his feet so he wouldn't fall. That thought led to more, until he registered the sounds around them as important. He thought about the Orphaner's words. Promotion. _Promotion_. Fuckfuckfuck. He knew where he was going. He took a couple of steps forward, presumably in the direction the seadweller wanted him to go, but as soon as there was enough distance between him and the Orphaner that he couldn't be grabbed immediately, Sollux did the only thing he _could_ do in this situation. He bolted down the hallway, praying he was running _away_ from the Helmsblock.  


Dualscar cursed and tried to grab his charge, but his wounds from the latest fight betrayed him. Even as he chased his quarry, the distance between them grew with every step. Seeing his shortcoming, the Orphaner stopped and slammed a meaty fist into the alarm: prisoner escaped. Now every drone on the ship would begin hunting the escapee. But, when he turned to renew his pursuit, Dualscar discovered that Sollux had vanished, leaving only a footprint of jade blood to mark his passing. The ancestor bellowed in rage, charging down the hall like a madman, right past the secret compartment wherein Terezi Pyrope was hiding with Sollux.  


Sollux ran like his life depended on it. It quite literally did, if he considered his life over once he was hooked up to the Helm and made a prisoner of these seadwellers forevermore. Truthfully, wouldn't end that moment, but he'd want it to. To be taken to the Helmsblock was to face his inescapable doom, so he ran as fast as his aching legs could carry him. He was doing okay - he'd managed to put distance between himself and Dualscar at any rate - then the ship erupted with alarms. Almost immediately after, something wrapped around Sollux's arm and yanked him to the side. The psionic didn't complain as he was pulled into a dark space, out of sight of the hallway, and focused instead on trying to quiet his harsh breathing before looking around to see his savior - or captor.  


Terezi held up a finger to her mouth, motioning communicating to Sollux the immediate need for silence. Out in the corridor, Dualscar lumbered past, cursing loudly, trailing a small line of blood. Signalling for Sollux to stay put, Terezi crept into the hall and shut off the alarm, watching for unwanted eyes. It wouldn't work for the lowbloods or even some midbloods, but Terezi's teal blood was blue enough to give her certain privileges. She came back to Sollux shortly. "WH4T 4R3 YOU DO1NG H3R3? 1 THOUGHT YOU H4D 3SCAP3D W1TH K4RK4T 4ND TH3 OTH3RS."  


Sollux nodded silently, just trying to catch his breath. Well, he was quiet enough to stay undetected. He shook his head when Terezi came back. "found me at my hiive... neiighbor probably ratted... never got away," he whispered. "you?"  


She gripped her cane uncomfortably. "G4MZ33 BROUGHT M3 H3R3. TH3Y M4D3 M3 4 L3G1SL4C3R4TOR. L1K3 MY 4NC3STOR. 'TH3 GR4ND H1GHBLOOD' TASKS M3 W1TH…HUNT1NG BLOOD TR4ITORS." How she hated herself. Poor Kanaya..."W3 SHOULD GO. TH3Y'LL SW33P TH1S P4SSAG3 SOON."  
they're biig on the ance2tor thiing... the orphaner ii2 tryiing two take me two the Helm..." He bit his lip and looked around. "where do we go?" He wondered if he should mention Kanaya. Later, although Terezi could probably smell the blood.  


The Helm? No, that wasn't good. Not in the fucking slightest. "L1ST3N, SOLLUX. TH3 H3LSMSM4N 1S 1N CR1T1C4L COND1T1ON, 4ND, W1THOUT H1M, TH3 SH1P C4N'T FUNCT1ON. 4LL SYST3MS W1LL SHUT DOWN FOR 4 SHORT T1ME." She gave him a pointed look. That was why Dualscar was so...fervent. "TH3R3'S 4 SHORT D1ST4NCE TR4NSPORT4L1Z3R WH1CH _M1GHT_ ST1LL B3 WORK1NG. TH4T'S YOUR B3ST SHOT."  


He nodded. Get to the transportalizer, then run. He could do that. He just needed to avoid Dualscar, the drones, and... anyone else. Oh, and hope the transportalizer was actually working. Yeah, this would be a piece of cake. Totally. Sollux could reflect on how he felt about the loss of his ancestor later. Given how they were always being compared, he did feel a strange connection to the guy. He would have liked to talk to him, not as the Helmsman, but back when he was the Psiioniic. But he didn't really have time to be thinking about this right now. "whiich diirection ii2 iit iin?"  


Terezi pointed down the hallway. "1 C4N T4K3 YOU MOST OF TH3 W4Y, BUT W3’LL H4V3 TO GO THROUGH TH3 41R V3NTS. 4ND TH3N TH3R3’S 4 GOOD CH4NC3 OF M33T1NG _H1M_ " But it was either a psycho juggalo or an army of drones plus an angry Dualscar. "R34DY?"  
He glanced at the shackles still on his wrists. Fuck, he really hoped their jangling against the vents didn't give them away. He'd do the best not to let them make any sounds. "followiing you."  


Terezi rolled her eyes and in one swift motion broke the shackles with a *crack*, resounding down the hall. "4ND TH4T'S WHY W3 W41T3D." She grabbed Sollux's arm and the pair ran down the hall. Two hallways, three left turns and one right later, and they were close. Terezi could smell it. But then- "B4CK UP," she hissed. Changing directions suddenly, Terezi pushed her companion back into the previous corridor just as Dualscar entered the hall, weapon geared and ready for action. Terezi could smell the vent just a few short feet away, but that idiot ancestor was blocking the path. Well.......nothing for it. Terezi covered Sollux's mouth and stabbed his arm with her cane. Only enough to draw some blood. Well, a lot of blood. She mouthed, "SORRY," before disappearing down the opposite end of the hall.  


A short distance away, Dualscar was seething. If the Helmsman wasn't replaced soon, heads would roll. And the first to fall would be his. The Condesce wasn't exactly the merciful type. He walked toward Sollux's hallway, ready to cull another drone or two in agitation, when behind him he heard, "DU4LSC4R!" He turned, greeted by the sight of Reglare’s descendant. She ran toward him blatantly, as was her custom, with no respect for his authority. But what caught his eye was the mustard blood adorning her weapon. Dualscar thundered, "VWHAT HAPPENED? WVHERE IS THE LOVWBLOOD? PYROPE, IF YOU'VE CULLED HIM..."  


"DU4LSC4R! WHY 4R3 YOU JUST ST4ND1NG 4ROUND? 1 SPOTT3D SOLLUX. 1TR13D TO F1GHT H1M, BUT H1S PS1ON1CS 4R3 COM1NG B4CK. 1 COULDNT B34T H1M" Dualscar grabbed her arm violently, barely containing himself. "WVHERE?" Terezi bit her lip to keep from crying out. It felt as though her arm would break at any second. "N34R THE 3SC4P3 PODS." Dualscar's grip on her tightened. He didn't trust this troll. She was manipulative: a wild card. "HE'D BETTER BE, FOR YOUR SAKE." And with that, he hurried down the hall, Ahab's Crosshairs in one hand, Terezi Pyrope in the other.  


Sollux kept pace with her, trying to look ahead for where they were going. He saw Terezi smell it, rather than actually found the vent himself, but following her head motion led him to the right spot. Then he heard heavy footfall. Before he knew it, Terezi was pulling him backwards, then her hand was over his mouth. For a brief moment, Sollux thought she'd turned on him and was going to deliver him to the Helm herself, but he was smart enough to stay quiet as she stabbed his arm, though the pain brought a sheen of yellow liquid to his eyes. Then she let go, said sorry, and left. Oh... He covered the wound with one hand, doing his best not to let any blood drip to the ground, and listened to Terezi's interaction. So she was saving him.  


He waited until he couldn't hear their footsteps any more, then snuck into the hallway and examined the grate. He'd have to jump, but he'd be able to make it. Sollux grabbed the bars with both hands (getting a little yellow blood on them), yanked them open, and climbed inside. He used his tattered shirt to wipe away as much yellow as he could, then looked around and proceeded into the vents. Of course, he didn't actually know where he was going, so that was a bit of a problem...  


The vent system was large - roomy, even - with ceilings tall enough that even the most audaciously-horned trolls could move about freely. Which was why Gamzee Makara had set up shop there, moving about the ship like a specter: always on the edges of one’s vision, but never in plain sight. But, of course, what was a new home without some decoration? The walls were coated with a rainbow of blood, every color in the hemospectrum but for the fuchsia of the Empress, mutant red, and that of his own subjuggalator class. Inscribed in those colors were the dark imaginings of Gamzee's mind. Barely coherent notes, grisly pictures, and, most importantly, small signs depicting directions or rooms. The ship was vast enough that even Gamzee would get lost without those markers. But the subjuggalator was not moving about now. He sat in a dark corner of his domain, watching the commotion outside. Everyone was doing a motherfucking pirouette off the handle for no reason, in his opinion. It was just one peasantblood. Gamzee raised his favored weapon, the joker's club, toward his scarred face. A myriad of colors accented it, but it had been a while since he last painted with mustard miracles. HoNk :o)  


Sollux almost yelped when he first encountered a smear of blue blood, but slapped his yellow hand over his mouth before the sound could escape. Crawling a couple more feet revealed the plethora of colors on the walls, and, also, a diagram of the rooms at the ends of the fork. It was painted in brown blood. Sollux shivered, but kept crawling through the vents. He himself was leaving a thin yellow trail as he moved, the blood on his arm still wet and dripping. The injured psionic didn't get very far before he turned one corner and was confronted with the subjuggulator. As soon as he saw him, Sollux froze, like an antlerbeast caught in headlights.  


Gamzee looked lazily over at the intruder, bleeding all over the vent, just sitting there with a dumb look on his face. "PeAsAnTbLoOd. YoU'Ve gOt a lOt oF PeOpLe lOoKiNg fOr yOu. FoR SoMe sHiTtY LoWbLoOd." A grin stretched itself across the subbjugalator's face, full to the brimming with madness. "BuT I CoUlDn't gIvE A ShIt aBoUt tHoSe sOrRy aSs mOtHeRfUcKeRs. AlL Up aNd oBsEsSeD WiTh tHeIr eMpReSs. So mOtHeRfUcKiN' pOiNtLeSs." Gamzee twirled his joker's club in a thin hand, wondering dimly what sound it would make as it came in contact with Sollux's head. Probably one similar to all the others. He chuckled darkly to himself.  


Holy fuck, he was not prepared to deal with this. Even if he did have full access to his powers at the moment, Sollux wouldn't be prepared to deal with the indigoblood. He thought back to the last diagram he'd seen and figured that, if he was careful, he could get through the vents without going through the one blocked by the crazy troll. Assuming he could get away without becoming a splatter of yellow, that is. "totally poiintle22," he agreed, backing up.  


"WHO TOLD YOU THAT YOU COULD MOVE, MOTHERFUCKER!?!?" Gamzee shouted. The sound echoed down the ventilation shaft, not that it mattered. No one ever bothered him in here, no matter how loud the screams. He sat up slowly, eyes fixed upon Sollux as a predator onto prey. "tHe mUstaRdBlOoD ThInKs hE CaN Do wHaT He lIkEs. LiTtLe sHiT. nO ReSpEcT, nO MoThErFuCkInG ReSpEcT." He shook his head, growling angrily. Had to focus. No, he couldn't kill him yet. Yes, he would kill him. No, have to wait. Gamzee shot Sollux a glare. "LoWbLoOd... I'M GoInG To kIlL YoU, mOtHeRfUcKeR."  


He froze, more concerned about the volume of Gamzee's shout than the actual words, though he wasn't thrilled by the threat either. "that'2 great, get iin liine." As he spoke, he tried to make sparks appear in his hands. The drug hadn't really worn off yet, but he might be able to intimidate the capricorn.  


Sollux's hands sparked feebly, blue and red crackling in the empty space. Gamzee was unamused. "I WaTcHeD ThEm cArRy yOu iN HeRe, aSsHoLe. YoU'Ve gOt mOrE DrUgS In yOuR SyStEm tHaN My hIgH MoThErFuCkIn' SeLf eVeR DiD." Suddenly, the clown launched himself at the ailing psionic, pushing him against the dripping wall, slamming his clubkind next to his head with a deafening clang. "I'M GoInG To kIlL YoU, mOtHeRfUcKeR. sO LeT'S PlAy a gAmE."  


Sollux could do nothing as Gamzee shoved him against the vent wall, though he did flinch as the clown struck it with his club and the sound reverberated through the space. "What game?"  


"tHe gAmE. tHaT HuMaN OnE WhErE I CoUnT To sOmE ShItTy nUmBeR, aNd yOu gEt yOuR PeAsAnTbLoOd aSs uP AnD HiDe yOuR MoThErFuCkInG SeLf wHeRe i cAn't sEe yOu." He shoved Sollux further into the vents and sat down heavily. ""iF I FiNd yOu, GaMe oVeR. iF ThAt pUrPlE MoThErFuCkInG AnCeStOr fInDs yOu, GaMe oVeR." He glared daggers toward the outside world. ""iF YoU GeT HeLp fRoM My mOtHeRfUcKiNg kIsMeSiS, iT'S GaMe oVeR FoR ThE BoTh oF YoU." He threw his purple bloodshot gaze back to Sollux. "1..........2.........."  


He nodded and ripped off a strip of fabric from his shirt as Gamzee explained the rules, tying the fabric over his wound so he wouldn't leave a blood trail. Then, as Gamzee began counting, Sollux continued crawling, more quickly this time, and began heading for the last empty room he'd seen. He couldn't be too far from the transportalizer, but he'd have to get out of the vents in order to lose Gamzee. He'd have to continue his journey through the halls.  


Dualscar marched briskly down the hallway, the young legislacerator in tow, looking for signs of Sollux's passage. Nothing. No mustard yellow blood, no signs of a struggle. The drones had already swept this area twice. The whole ship had been swept. Where on Alternia was this lowblood? They arrived in the escape pod bay to find the room empty, just like everywhere else. No sign of him. Dualscar threw the girl across the room, bashing her against the various pieces of equipment at random. "VWELL, PYROPE? YOU PROMISED ME THE PSIONIC. WVHERE IS HE?"  


Terezi rubbed away the teal stream trickling from her nose with the back of her arm. "1 S41D H3 W4S H34D3D TH1S W4Y, GR4P3 JU1C3. 1T W4S 4 LOG1C4L 4SSUMPT1ON, CONS1D3R1NG TH3 POS1T1ON YOU'V3 SL4T3D FOR H1M." Above, Terezi heard movement in the vents, a suppressed rattling that no person with sight could sense. She winced and ran a hand over her nose as she took a whiff. Though her favored sense wasn’t quite working the way it should, she could still tell the smell wasn't of Sollux. It was of rotting blood and stale makeup. What was Gamzee doing moving about? If he found Sollux…..Dualscar brought her back to the present as he raised Ahab's Crosshairs and trained the weapon on her, finger poised to fire. Terezi remained quiet, relying on some other instinct for guidance. The shot didn't fire. "DU4LSC4R. DO YOU R34LLY TH1NK 1 HOLD TH3 L1F3 OF ON3 TROLL, 3V3N 4 FR13ND’S, 4BOV3 MY OWN? 1F SOLLUX W3R3 ST4ND1NG H3R3 R1GHT NOW, 1 WOULD T4K3 H1M TO TH3 H3LMSBLOCK MYS3LF." She walked forward until the tip of his weapon was mere inches away from her chest. "1V3 S3RV3D TH3 COND3SC3 F41THFULLY S1NC3 TH3 M1NUT3 1 GOT H3R3. 1V3 B3TR4Y3D 4LL MY FR13NDS FOR TH1S C4US3. YOUR C4US3. 4ND 1 G41N NOTH1NG 4ND L3SS TO 4B4NDON MY 3FFORTS FOR ON3 LOWBLOOD."  


Dualscar said nothing for some time. So long that Terezi was convinced that he would end up pulling the trigger just to end the companionable silence. But, eventually, he lowered the weapon. "VWERY VWELL, LITTLE REDGLARE. I VWILL SPARE YOUR LIFE. CONSIDER IT PAYMENT FOR YOUR BRINGING IN THE DOLOROSA'S WVHELP." And with that, and an accompanying sneer, the elder Ampora stormed from the room. Terezi sighed, using her cane as a support for once. She had no doubt that Dualscar would end up killing her anyway, no matter the outcome of Sollux's escape attempt. That was just his way. Above, Gamzee had vanished from immediate vents, but past experience dictated that he was probably nearby, lurking just out of smell. She ran down the hallway, taking an alternate route than Dualscar in case he decided to change his mind. Here and there, she smelled swatches of yellow blood, faint, nearly imperceptible. _WH343 4R3 YOU, SOLLUX?_ she thought.  


Sollux avoided the escape pods like the plague. He had heard Terezi say she would take the Orphaner there because that's where he was likely to be, and logically concluded that if the escape pods were where the Orphaner was, then he probably didn't want to be anywhere near the them. He slipped out of the vents at the first opportunity he got, carefully checking the hallway before doing so. If Dualscar, or a drone, or any highblood found him, he'd be taken to the Helmsblock. If Gamzee found him, it was game over. He'd come too far for either of those options. He had to find that transportalizer. He walked as quickly and quietly as he could, every sense on high alert, as he began making his way through the hallways. At the first turn, he used what he could remember of Gamzee's maps to determine where to go, but he wasn't sure the mental map would get him all the way there. Once, he heard footsteps and jumped behind a couple of crates, waiting anxiously until they passed.  


Terezi followed the vent's trail of blood until it emptied into the corridor and ended with a light yellow palm print inscribed on the grate. Wonderful. Now how would she find him? She shook her head and gently cupped her injured nose, not trusting her favorite sense completely at the moment. Dualscar's hits had done a number on her senses. Everything felt discombobulated, slightly off-key. She even walked (albeit unknowingly) past the hiding lowblood in her haste to find him. But the question assailing her now: go to the transportalizer and risk leading Dualscar and Co. to Sollux, or run around like an idiot, leaving Sollux to avoid scores of minions and a very angry aristocrat and escape on his own, assuming he even knew where the transportalizer was? She shook her head, wishing that she was a fully realized Seer of Mind. It would have made this whole journey that much easier. Shrugging internally, she decided on path number one. Hopefully, Sollux would have the good sense to be gone by the time she arrived.  


As the footsteps began to disappear, Sollux moved himself into a position so he could see who or what just passed him, and what direction they were heading. He almost gasped aloud when he saw Terezi. Fuck. She was heading in the direction he had to go, possibly even to check on him. But Gamzee had said that if he got help from her, he'd kill them both, and Sollux wasn't going to endanger his friend without her say-so. He stayed in his hiding place until she was gone then tried to consider his options. He could try the grates again, he could follow Terezi and potentially upset Gamzee, or he could take a detour and hopefully end up in the place he wanted to be. Fuck. He stood up and glanced at the vent, then down the hallway he'd just come from. He decided to follow Terezi for now, though he'd keep far enough back that hopefully she wouldn't notice him either, and break away as soon as he could. Mind made up, he waited a couple minutes, then followed her path.  


Terezi weaved in and out of the ship's passageways, taking the most roundabout route possible to reach her destination, hopefully confusing any potential stalkers as to her final destination. She frowned grimly as she considered the prospects. It was unlikely that she would get away, much less Sollux. Fate was rarely so kind as to acquiesce to happy endings, nor did many deserve them. Least of all, her.  


It wasn't long before she arrived at the small pedestal with that well-worn triangular design adorning the But no sign or scent that Sollux had been or even that the transportalizer had been used Terezi was about to continue her search when from the shadows came _his_ voice. "YoU MoThErFuCkErS FuCkEd uP BiG TiMe."  


Sollux carefully followed, though he questioned his and Terezi's judgement a couple of times. Either he was wrong about her heading towards the transportalizer or his guide didn't actually know where she was going. He was banking on the former, but he couldn't break away from her without being spotted. With all that in mind then, the psionic continued to follow her, right up to her arriving in the desired room, and he was hiding in the shadows when he heard a specific clown's voice and froze.  


Fuckfuckfuckufck.  


There was a noble thing, a stupid thing, and a smart thing to do in this instance. After half a second’s hesitation, Sollux chose what he considered the noble thing (that would probably end with his death) and stepped out of the shadows. "2he diidn't help me, the rule2 weren't broken," he stated, glaring into the shadows.  


Terezi turned toward one voice then the other. What on Alternia was going on? "G4MZ33, WH4T TH3 H3LL 4R3 YOU DO1NG H3R3?" Best to ignore Sollux, to pretend as though they didn't have an agreement. But Gamzee didn't notice her, transfixed on Sollux as he was.  


"HoNk. RuLeS? mOtHeRfUcKeR, tHiS Is wAr. WhAt kInD Of rUlEs dO YoU ThInK I CaRe aBoUt?" He hefted his club, tossing it nimbly between blood-stained hands as he approached. But he stopped suddenly, his gaze shifting to a point beyond the pair of insurgents.  


Sollux was afraid to look at whatever caught Gamzee's attention, and he certainly wasn't willing to take his gaze off the psychotic clown, so he just tried to straighten his posture and focus only on Makara for the moment. "ii thought iit wa2 a game," he said, voice as calm as he could make it. "and game2 are no fun wiithout rule2."  


Terezi turned to face the adversary from behind as Sollux faced Gamzee. The clown was right in their path, blocking the way the transportalizer. And he knew it, too. "ThAt bItCh nExT To yOu cAn tElL YoU ThE FuCkInG TrUtH FrOm hEr sHiTtY LiFe StOrY: TrOlLs dOn't pLaY GaMeS FaIrLy. HeR EyEs aRe tHe mOtHeRfUcKiNg tEsTaMeNt tO ThAt." Terezi stiffened at the insult, but it wasn't anything she wasn't used to from her blackrom partner. "BuT ShE'S NoT A PaRt oF ThIs sHiTtY GaMe. NoT NoW. tHeRe wErE ThReE RuLeS, pEaSaNtBlOoD. aNd yOu bRoKe tWo oF ThEm. I FoUnD YoU. aNd tHaT MoThErFuCkInG AsShOlE AnCeStOr...." His eyes flickered to the entrance of the corridor again.  


He hissed at the jab at Terezi, and stepped forward about to say something, when the highblood continued talking and he paused. Two rules? Gamzee had found him yes, but he hadn't gotten help from- he paled as Gamzee explained the second broken rule and turned so his gaze could follow the clown's, toward what he considered the larger threat. He sparked, more on reflex than anything else, especially given his psionics were essentially useless.  


Terezi lowered her weapons as Dualscar's hulking form filled the hallway. Behind, splayed out like a mob was a score or more of her Imperial Condescension's royal drones. They were trapped. Resigning herself to fate, Terezi kicked Sollux's feet out from under him, forcing him to kneel while her canekind kept him in place."C4LL OFF THE SUBJUGG4L4TOR, DU4LSC4R. WOULDN'T W4NT H1M K1LL1NG OUR N3W H3LMSMAN."  


He gasped as he fell to the floor, then immediately raised his eyes to look back at the Orphaner. He didn't try and resist Terezi's cane, honestly, at this point, the position he was currently in was probably his best possible option. He tried to calm his breathing, though it was difficult. He was terrified and he was surrounded. Terezi had just called him a Helmsman and it didn't look like there was any way out of this clusterfuck. Fuck, the calming down thing wasn't really working, he was pretty sure his blood pusher was pulsing harder than before now.  


Dualscar smiled, triumphant at last. "THE GIRL IS RIGHT. DISAPPEAR INTO YOUR MAZE, LITTLE HIGHBLOOD. NEVER FORGET: YOUR AUTONOMY IS BASED UPON YOUR LACK OF INTERFERENCE. BEGONE." For a moment, it seemed as though Gamzee would disobey. The lowblood was sooo close. And there was a high chance for him to kill his kismesis, too. But....Gamzee's true master had other plans for him. With a scowl and one last glare at his rival/lover, the clown stormed out of the room, angrily smiting drones on his way down the hall. The Orphaner turned back to the pair. "I HOPE YOU'VWE ENJOYED YOUR TASTE OF FREEDOM, LITTLE HELMSMAN. PERHAPS IT'LL GIWVE YOU COMFORT IN THE CENTURIES TO COME."  


Sollux tensed as Gamzee mulled over the Orphaner’s words then appeared to make his decision. He entertained the possibility of batting away Terezi's cane and running for the transportalizer, but just getting there didn't mean he was safe. The Orphaner would follow and likely catch him. No, better to stay here, to do... something. There had to be _something_ he could do. He looked back at the older Ampora. "ii wiill diie before ii end up on your Helm," he spat, glaring at him, channeling his fear into anger. "ii am _not_ my ance2tor."  


The Orphaner sneered back, satisfied in the latter's compete inability to counter the situation. But there was always Terezi. She looked toward Sollux for a moment and considered the life he would lead were he to be ensnared: life as a living battery, having his powers endlessly drained from him for centuries, unable to die but in agony every second in between. "1S TH4T R34LLY WH4T YOU W4NT?" she asked quietly.  


"not from you," he whispered, as quietly as he was able. He'd already seen Kanaya die today, he wasn't going to let Terezi too. Besides, even if it didn't matter because he'd be dead, he could never forgive himself if Terezi condemned herself for his sake.  


Thank goodness. Terezi had already killed one friend today (not with the weapon herself, but...) and had no plans to cull another. Or deliver him into the hands of one such as Dualscar. Directly behind her lay the unguarded transportalizer, a mere few feet away. And while Dualscar and his minions guarded the entrance, no one had the decency to believe Terezi could be devious. She whispered something in Sollux’s ear, quickly and succinctly, as quiet as breath: the last thing Kanaya told her before her capture: the coordinates to Karkat and the resistance. "4ND 1T'S NOT YOUR F4ULT, SOLLUX. 1 CHOS3 TH1S, R3M3MB3R TH4T. T3LL TH3 OTH3Rs H3LLO FOR M3. T3LL TH3M....TH4T 1'M SORRY." Her grip on the cane tightened. Dualscar was growing impatient. No more stalling. In one fluid motion, Terezi turned and flung her captive onto the transportalizer, leaping into the air after him as the gunfire from Ahab's Crosshairs rained down on them. Sollux disappeared in a flash of green and yellow, but Terezi landed cane-first, cracking the pedestal into pieces, sending a current of energy down her body. She collapsed on the ground as Dualscar's forces descended, hoping against hope that Sollux had escaped for good.


	3. Chapter 3

"TEREZI!" he screamed as he lay on the transportalizer and began vanishing in a flash of light. "TZ!" She was going to die because of him; she had just sacrificed herself to save him from...everything. He wanted to lay down, curl up and just sob, but he realized he was on a transportalizer. The Orphaner could lead a force toward him at any moment. Sollux forced himself to his feet then looked around. He had coordinates, so he knew where to go, but he didn't know how he'd get there. He started with just walking. Walking soon became running, though it wasn’t because he wanted to get to his destination so much as he needed to get away from the Empress’ ship. 

Little did Sollux know that the link between him and the Condesce's ship had been severed neatly. And while Terezi suffered the immediate consequences of the break, the other side was a slow burn, biding its time until it released a massive explosion, shooting fangs of green and yellow energy into the sky. A beacon, of sorts, to a friendly face. It was on this planet that the last traces of Kanaya Maryam were registered, flickering into nothing seemingly without cause. And Nepeta Leijon was there to see why. She had been standing on the tall bough of one of the few behemoth trees spread sparsely over the landscape, looking for signs of her missing friend when the transportalizer blew its lid, nearly knocking her from her perch in surprise. She looked toward the explosion, expecting a fallen ship or some natural shock, only to see a small figure trailing through the wastes. But...was it furriend or foe?

Sollux whirled as the transportalizer exploded. The blast nearly knocked him off his feet, and, while it did mean good news in that the Orphaner couldn't get to him, it was certainly bright enough that it could draw other attention. As soon as everything stopped shaking, he continued on his way, putting on speed to try and put as much distance between him and the beacon of light as possible.

Nepeta watched the black speck move across the horizon, purrposely moving away from the explosion. Maybe it was Kanaya. Maybe she was alright, and it was just some coincidence that she couldn't contact everyone. Encouraged by this idea, she prowled down the bark of the tree (catlike :33) until she reached the ground and uncaptchalogued the rocket four-wheel device she had purrloined from Tavros. He didn't really need it now that he had robot legs. Nepeta hopped into the little car, revving the engine slightly, and sped off toward the speck.

Not too long later, Sollux heard the rev of what must have been an engine, and a quick glance around confirmed that, yes, there was a vehicle heading towards him. Fuck fuck fuck. He looked around frantically, trying to find some sort of cover. There was a lone tree not too far away. He sprinted for it in the hope that maybe he could defend himself from that position. Or convince whoever was coming toward him that it wasn't worth trying to capture him, that fighting would end poorly for both of them. Once the psionic got to the tree's base, he hauled himself into the branches, the strain on his arm wetting the makeshift bandage he'd made.

Nepeta pulled up and, with a confused look, exited the rocket four-wheel device. She could have sworn that she saw someone....the huntress stared out at the landscape with narrowed eyes, ready for action. There was a small line of yellow tracing to this spot. And on the nearby foliage was another scrape of mustard yellow. Equipping her claws, she stalked toward the awaiting tree, preparing herself for an ambush.

Sollux hid in the foliage, as concealed as possible given the circumstances. He saw the troll get out of the four-wheel device and... well, there was only one. He stiffened as the small troll approached his tree. He couldn't see properly through his cover, so he wasn't able to identify them. He just figured they were an enemy, or at the very least, had to assume they weren’t friendly.

When it looked like they weren’t about to go away, he decided the only way to ensure he got out of this alive was to attack first. Sollux flexed his claws, wishing he had knives or some kind of weapon, and leapt from the tree, hopefully tackling the other troll to the ground.

Nepeta tensed as the leaves above rustled restlessly. Then, out popped a troll, straight towards her. Hissing, she rolled out of the way, crouching in a defensive position, clawkind at the ready as her attacker hit the ground. But before she could attack, a familiar scent caught her nose. She wasn't anywhere near Terezi's level as far as non-sight senses went, but she remembered.

":33 > sollux!" She tackle-pounced her friend with gusto. 

He hit the ground with a grunt, not coordinated enough to get his feet under him in order to effectively land. At first Sollux was incredibly confused as he was tackled and not ripped into with claws and teeth, but then everything kind of clicked into place. "NP?"

She giggled and rolled off of her friend, jumping up and down with excitement. " :33 > sollux, oh my gosh, thank goodness! we thought you were dead or catptured." She resisted the urge to glomp him again. He looked so weak: ripped clothes, a general aura of exhaustion, and at least two colors of the hemospectrum painting his skin....one of which was jade. Kanaya's jade. ":33 > ...have you........seen Kanaya? is she with you?"

He sat up and looked over at her. "captured, yeah. not dead yet..." Sollux watched her looking at him, assessing his condition, then looked down when she asked her next question. "Kanaya'2 gone.." he said quietly. "and probably TZ two."

Nepeta's emotions went from sympathetic, to sorrowful, to enraged in the span of Sollux's reply. ":33 > don't talk about Terezi," she growled, eyes reduced to slits. "she deserves to die for what she's done." If _she_ was involved then it was no wonder that Kanaya....*sob*

"2he got me thii2 far," he said. He wasn't quite ready to analyze or even hear what Terezi did or did not do. He could think about that when his life was in less imminent danger. "2he told me two tell you hello and 2orry."

Nepeta bit back a growl and grabbed a hold of Sollux's arm. ":33 > fine. let's just go." She pulled back her sleeve, revealing a small device strapped to her arm: a small machine attached to a leather cuff with a small blue light blinking incessantly. One arm squarely on Sollux, she slapped the mechanism with her free hand, causing the pair to disappear in flash of blue light, re-appearing almost instantly at their destination: the resistance. Man, vortex manipulators sure came in handy. ":33 > bet you missed hiding out in a meteor, huh, Sollux?"

He looked around, startled by how quickly they seemed to have moved locations. Was that traceable? "ii mii22ed hiidiing out periiod," he said, trying to get an idea of his surroundings.

":33 > so you never even made if off alternia? that's awfur. alone with all those evil people..." Nepeta shuddered. Other than Feferi, the highbloods had always bothered her, even before all of this ancestor nonsense began. ":33 > do you need any attention for that-" - she pointed to his bloody arm - "-befur you meet the others?"

"other2? who else iis here? NP, ii2-" he paused mid question. He didn't want the answer to that, because what if he wasn't? No, Sollux should be happy about whichever of his friends _were_ here, not concerned or upset by those who weren't. So, prepare to get excited, Sollux. Prepare for some good news. "who2 here?" Oh yeah, tending to that wound might be a good idea, too, but, in his eyes, that was a secondary issue.

Nepeta scratched the top of her head, thinking it over. Who _was_ here? ":33  > well Aradia is still off playing in dreambubbles. she pops in sometimes to see how we're doing. Vriskers....i don't really know what she's doing, but it's not good, whatever it is. so many irons in the fire. Tavros is here. we rp a lot. and now that his legs are back, he's a lot happier. and Karkat-" - she blushed a bit - "-well you know how he is. but i think leadership is getting harder and harder for him." There. That was everyone who was still alive....

Yeah, AA didn't surprise him one bit; if he could, he'd rather avoid Spiderbitch for the rest of his life; he was happy to hear that Tavros was good, but there was one name that really stood out to him. "KK ii2 _here?_ " He was afraid to ask if Karkat was even alive, much less free. Much less _here_. And still a leader, apparently. He stared at Nepeta. He couldn't quite believe it. His thinkpan was literally having trouble processing that news. Well, to be fair, it had been through a lot today. " _here_. not dead or en2laved or- or anythiing el2e?"

Nepeta considered the question. She would have to update her shipping wall later today. ":33 > well karkitty's not _here_ right now. but he's not dead or catptured of some other terrible thing either. some super secret scouting mission or something. i think he said he'd be back later today."

"thank fuck. everyone ii2 ob2e22ed wiith our ancestor2 and repeatiing theiir hii2tory, and the Orphaner threatened earliier-" Sollux took a deep breath. "he ju2t need2 two be careful. ii’m 2o glad you’re all okay."

A shadow crossed over her face. They were not all okay. Of the twelve, only six remained. Through death or betrayal or enslavement, half of the trolls had fallen. But as long as Karkat was alright, Sollux would be satisfied. She pushed past her friend, perhaps trying to escape those dark emotions, so against her bubbly nature, and walked down the hall. ":33 > the infirmary is this way. we need to get you fixed up."

"ii gue22 that2 not 2uch a bad iidea." Actually, it was kind of a wonder he was still on his feet; he'd gone through a lot, for the most part emotionally, but there was some physical trauma too. Though Sollux’s arm was the biggest injury, he had various other cuts, not to mention his torso was yellow and green with bruises from being tossed around.

It didn't take long for Nepeta to patch Sollux up. Nothing much to do on this stupid meteor, so she had become a quite proficient medic in her free time.Though, it would take a little longer for Sollux to detox and get that heinous drug from his system. ":33 > are you sure mew don't know what they gave you? drugged up and damaged. it must have been a great escape." After all, more injuries equals more adventures, right?

"iit wa2 iin the food u2ually. ii wouldnt be 2urprii2ed iif they iinjected iit 2traiight after the fiir2t e2cape attempt though." He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "iit wa2 terriifyiing. ii thiink ED ii2 dead. eiither that or hornle22 and 2everely iinjured."

Nepeta continued packing up her stuff, unmoved. She never really had any contact with Eridan. What she did see of him didn't exactly endear her, either. And then, Equius commanded her to steer clear, of course... ":33 > at least he's not hunting us anymore."

"yeah he2 an a22hole. good fuckiing riiddance." Not as bad as his ancestor, certainly, but the younger ampora had had absolutely no problem with the idea of killing their friends or of throwing Sollux on the Helm. No, he had no regrets about what happened to Eridan.

Nepeta giggled. ":33 > he wasn't very nice, i guess." 

From outside the door came the sound of heavy footsteps walking towards them and, before long, Tavros appeared in the doorway. "uH, HEY, NEPETA, WOAH! sOLLUX, WHEN DID YOU GET HERE? uMM, NEVERMIND, YOU DON'T HAVE TO ANSWER. aNYWAY, I JUST THOUGHT THAT YOU MIGHT WANT TO KNOW THAT KARKAT IS BACK."

Sollux looked up when he heard the footsteps, wondering who that could possibly be.

Oh, Tavros. That made an absurd amount of sense. He raised one hand in a small wave as the fudgeblood noticed him. He sat up straighter at his news, though. Karkat was back? This soon, this was all real?

Nepeta started in surprise. Karkat was back so soon? But then his mission...Nepeta pushed aside her qualms for the moment and flashed her trademark happy grin. ":33 > yay! karkitty is back. i want to go greet him. sollux, tavros, you want to come?" 

Tavros raised his hands as though to protect himself from Nepeta's question. "n-nO, NO. i ALREADY SAID HI. jUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW IT CASE YOU MAYBE DIDN'T. bUT IF YOU DID, I'M SORRY I DIDN'T KNOW THAT YOU KNEW, aND....YEAH." He had slipped out of the doorway by the end of his speech, probably to go regale other with the good news and escape more questioning.

"ye2!" Sollux replied, already getting to his feet. Even outside of just wanting to talk to Karkat, there was a bit Sollux had to tell him, too, especially if he was the leader of a rebellion.

Yep. She definitely needed to fix her shipping chart. Regardless, Nepeta led the way to Karkat's respiteblock and found her fearless leader nursing a wounded leg, though he covered it up immediately upon sight of intruders.

"FOR FUCK'S SAKE, CAN'T A TROLL GET TWO MINUTES ALONE WITHOUT A FUCKLOAD OF PEOPLE DROPPING IN ON HIM AND-" But then Karkat noticed someone that shouldn't have been there. Someone he had given up for dead. "SOLLUX..."

Sollux followed quickly behind, and barely held back a completely-inappropriate-given-the-circumstances grin upon seeing the cancer. "hey a22hat." Okay, he _did_ smile a little bit. Holy shit, Karkat was alive; he was alive _and_ he wasn't bleeding at a highblood's feet. He _was_ bleeding, but, hey, this was Karkat. At this point, that wasn't really unexpected.

How long had it been since Sollux had disappeared? It felt like sweeps, but surely it couldn't have been more than a few months. Karkat had given up a while back, sure that Sollux was languishing in some imperial prison or lying in a ditch somewhere. But here he was. "ASSHAT? WHERE THE FUCK DO YOU GET OFF, DISAPPEARING FOR MONTHS THEN DRAGGING YOUR ASS BACK HERE TO TORMENT US ALL? WE WERE WORRIED ABOUT YOU, YOU SUPERCILIOUS NOOKSPONGE. WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?" He looked run down to the point of collapsing, though Nepeta had obviously been treating him. Covered in blood and bandages. What a mess.

Sollux had had no sense of time for a long while; days had been measured as the periods between sleeping, so for all Sollux knew he _had_ been gone for sweeps. Probably not, but it felt that way. He thought about saying 'iive been two hell and back' but that was a little too close to the truth at the moment. But Sollux did want to joke around a bit before he had to explain what exactly had happened today. "aww you worriied about me? iim touched KK."

"WE. I SAID WE, COLLECTIVELY, AS A FUCKING TEAM MISSED YOU. BECAUSE YOU'RE THE ONLY FUCKING PSYCHIC THAT ISN'T OBSESSED WITH SOME SIDE MISSION LIKE A BUNCH OF HUMAN CADBERRY EGGS. ARADIA IS OFF IN DREAMLAND PLAYING WITH SNARKS AND GRUMPKINS AND SHIT, TAVROS ONLY FUCKING CHOOSES TO PLAY WITH ANIMALS WITH HIS PSYCHIC POWERS, AND WHO THE HELL KNOWS JUST WHAT VRISKA DOES IN HER SPARE TIME, SO YEAH. I MISSED YOU." They had lost so many people this year. It was a "MiRaClE" that they were even still fighting, but there was hope. Sollux's return was hope.

"well iim touched the group collectiively mii22ed my clearly superiior power2. but dont worry KK. iin a few hour2 time you and the group will have them all two your2elve2 agaiin." 

Karkat rolled his eyes. Hopefully, Sollux would get just how pleased Karkat was to see him without having to go into a sickening feelings fest. “NEPETA, CAN I TALK TO SOLLUX ALONE FOR A WHILE? WE’VE GOT SOME SERIOUS SHIT TO DISCUSS."

Nepeta bit back her annoyance with a smile and nodded. She was always a second thought: never important enough to warrant someone's full attention. Especially not Karkat's. She wandered into the corridor, half hoping they would call her back. But they didn't. She sighed and hit her vortex manipulator, trying to escape from what was always there: loneliness

Once Nepeta had gone, Sollux crossed his arms, almost as if to hug himself, then looked at Karkat. After a moment of tense silence, he sighed then spoke. "iif you tell me what happened two your leg iill tell you where iive been."

Karkat shifted his leg unthinkingly, averting his gaze from Sollux’s. Even after all this time, his mutant blood still brought him shame. "I WAS BEING A FUCKING IDIOT. MADE A STUPID WIGGLER MISTAKE AND GOT NICKED BY A DRONE. NOT IMPORTANT." Reconnaissance missions were becoming more and more dangerous as the Condesce's grip tightened over the cosmos. Karkat wasn't sure how much longer his little resistance force could last. The prospects weren't good. "BUT MY SHITTY PROBLEMS ARE A SIDE NOTE IN THIS LONG AS FUCK OVERDUE CONVERSATION. WHAT HAPPENED WITH _YOU_? THAT PURPLE-BLOODED ASSHOLE HAS BEEN LEAVING SOME PRETTY TERRIBLE POSTS IN THE MEMOS, AND WE THOUGHT..."

Sollux frowned. "no doubt you dont need me to tell you that mii2takes can get you kiilled. ju2t dont be _two_ much of an iidiiot alriight?" He briefly looked up at Karkat before turning his gaze to the wall. "ii doubt the truth ii2 much better. ii was on the Empre22’ 2hiip." He frowned. Seeing how so many of his friends managed to not only not get captured or killed, but even built a revolution while he was nabbed so easily...it was embarrassing to say the least.

"THE CONDESCE? FUCK, MAN. IT DOESN'T GET MUCH WORSE THAN THAT." They had heard horror stories about that ship: the dark things that went on there. Had lost a lot of friends to the Empress and her minions. "DAMN IT. I THOUGHT THAT LITTLE SHIT WAS FULL OF IT, BUT APPARENTLY NOT. HE'S THE ONE WHO TOLD US THAT YOU WERE CAUGHT...THAT YOU WERE SLATED TO REPLACE THE HELMSMAN." He flashed Sollux a concerned look. Surely that part couldn't be true. It just _couldn’t_ be.

"well iit look2 liike fishfuck ha2 been telliing the truth. who would have gue22ed iit?" He looked back at Karkat. "ii was. ii- iit almost happened today. fuck, KK, 2o _much_ happened today ii don't know where to begiin." Of course, it wasn't fair to keep most of it from Karkat. He bit his lip. "iill explaiin what ii can."

Karkat listened to Sollux's story in forced silence, using every ounce of self-control not to burst into a stream of expletives on every other sentence. This was hard enough for his friend without him butting in. When he finished, Karkat sat back in his chair, shaking with anger, gripping the seat to keep from jumping out of it in rage, much to his injured leg’s benefit. "THOSE BASTARDS."

As he told the story, his eyes landed anywhere but on Karkat; they'd usually pick a location for each event then move when a new development came up. The best way to tell the full story was to just forget he was talking to Karkat; he kind of just narrated everything as it played out again in his mind's eye. Sollux came back to reality when he was done. "iim 2orry KK...ii couldnt do anythiing. ii wa2- 2tiill am- u2ele22 and.. fuck, theyll be after the both- _all_ of u2 with renewed viigor after thii2."

"SHUT THE FUCK UP, SOLLUX." This asshole had just been to through hell, had two friends die right in front of him, and he still wasn't safe. Worse, Sollux was worried about the fucking problems that he would cause them because he decided that maybe life as the Battleship Condescension's fucking battery wasn't the best choice for him.

"AS IF WE CARE WHAT THOSE IDIOTIC ANCESTORS GET THROUGH THEIR DENSE THINKPANS. YOU'RE SAFE, AND THAT'S ALL THAT MATTERS RIGHT NOW, ASSHOLE. DON'T RUIN IT WITH YOUR STUPID MAGE OF DOOM SHIT."

He nodded. "TZ apologiized by the way. 2he...2he wanted everyone to know that 2he was 2orry." He kind of wanted to just fall to his knees and curl up into a little ball. One caveat of safety is that he had time to think, and nothing cycling through his thinkpan was very good at the moment.

Karkat growled slightly. "I DON'T CARE. WHAT TEREZI DID, SHE.....NO, IT'S PROBABLY BEST THAT SHE'S DEAD." He didn't know what had come over her, why she chose to save Sollux when she didn't extend the courtesy to the rest of their friends. There was no telling what that insane troll would or would not do.

"look KK ii dont know what 2he diid. ii can gue22, but ii don't know. but you have to under2tand the kiind of 2iituatiion 2he was iin. you cant- moral2 mean 2omethiing diifferent iin a place liike that and every decii2iion ha2 con2equence2...ju2t...plea2e. at lea2t under2tand that 2he regretted them."

"YEAH, I'M SURE SHE'S REAL BROKEN UP ABOUT IT. HUNTING US THROUGH THE VEIL, SACRIFICING TROLLS TO HER JUGGALO KISMESIS AND THOSE FUCKING ANCESTORS. EQUIUS, FEFERI......AND NOW KANAYA." He shook his head. It was hard to tell whether her actions were her own or not, but Karkat was ready to die at the behest of his friends if it meant they could live on. But Terezi.....it must have been one hell of a change of heart that prompted her to save Sollux.

He looked away. "well you dont need two worry about her anymore." He didn't know why he was trying to defend her; it sounded like she'd become a terrible person, but he'd heard how Dualscar treated her, how she was still stuck with Gamzee. And anyway, she saved his life twice, and had offered to do it a third. He wouldn't be here without Terezi; the least he could do is try to unblacken her memory. Sollux looked back at Karkat. "2o what are you doiing here? 2peciifiically ii mean. liike revolutiion wii2e."

Karkat picked absentmindedly at a stray thread on his sleeve, glad that the subject was changed. "WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO FIND OTHER TROLLS, PARTICULARLY THE YOUNGER GENERATIONS. BUILD OUR FORCES, FIND MORE ALLIES, AND SHIT LIKE THAT. TOO BAD OUR ODDS ARE SO FUCKING LOW AS TO BE NONEXISTENT. YOU'D THINK IT WAS THE METEORS THAT KILLED EVERYONE, BUT NO, IT WAS FEFERI'S FUCKTARD LUSUS WHICH GOT PISSED FOR NO LEGITIMATE REASON THAT COULD POSSIBLY EXCUSE MASS HOMICIDE AND DECIDED TO BLOW SHIT UP." Karkat ran a hand through his hair: a gesture of indecision and doubt. Maybe this was all a fool's errand. Not their cause, but the hope that they could change anything. His Ancestor......no, best not to think of that. "THERE'S ONLY A HANDFUL OF TROLLS LEFT, MOST OF WHICH THE CONDESCE HAS GOTTEN TO FIRST. AND THE REST THAT WE'VE FOUND WANT NOTHING TO DO WITH A REVOLUTION."

He frowned. That was concerning. "how many do you have 2o far? ii mean obviiou2ly the more the better, but how many do you thiink you really need two pull off what youre planniing?"

"WE'VE FOUND TEN, ONLY TWO OF WHOM ARE ABLE TO FIGHT AT THIS POINT. THE REST..." He growled in frustration. "A BUNCH OF FUCKING COWARDS. IDEALLY, THOUGH? WE NEED ALL THE HELP WE CAN GET." He leaned back further in his chair.

"NOBODY GIVES A FUCK ABOUT THE HEMOSPECTRUM EXCEPT FOR THE LOWER CASTES WHICH ARE DIRECTLY AFFECTED. EVERYONE ELSE UP THE SPECTRUM IS PREOCCUPIED WITH OUR IMMINENT EXTINCTION. FINDING A MATRIORB, GROWING A NEW MOTHER GRUB. I'M SURPRISED THAT PURPLE DOUCHEBAG KILLED KANAYA. OTHER THAN THE MURDER BEING A FUCKING CRIME AGAINST ALL DECENCY, JADEBLOODS ARE IN HIGH DEMAND."

"yeah well tho2e are hiighblood2 for you. and two be faiir our iimmiinent extiinctiion ii2 kiind of iimportant." He fell silent at the mention of Kanaya. She was killed because of him. She would still be alive, captive, yes, but alive, if he wasn't such a stubborn ass. "how are you pre-2coutiing the area2 that youre recruiitiing iin?"

Karkat stared at him for a moment. "DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE BEAT YOURSELF UP ABOUT KANAYA. SHE...SHE MADE HER CHOICES. YOU MADE YOURS. WHAT HAPPENED WAS THE NOT ANYONE'S FAULT." Except those fucking highbloods, of course. But, that went without saying. "AND AS FOR SCOUTING, ARADIA LETS US KNOW IF SHE'S FOUND ANY ERRANT TROLLS, ONES WHO HAVE HOPEFULLY ESCAPED FROM HER IMPERIOUS BITCH-QUEEN’S VIEWPORT. ONE OR TWO OF US SCOUT AHEAD WITH THAT WEIRD SPACE HOPPER OR WHATEVER THE FUCK IT’S CALLED AND CHECK IT OUT THEN TRY TO CONVINCE THE TROLLS TO JOIN US." Though the success rate had been pretty damn low. More than once they had walked into a trap.......Karkat shifted his injured leg again and winced.

He just avoided the subject. Karkat didn't quite understand the situation. Hell, it would have been him in that position if Karkat'd been a little easier to catch. Well, he'd better prevent that from happening then. "what iif you had a preliimiinary 2cout? a robot of 2ome kiind wiith a camera and maybe 2ome other 2en2ory appliicatiion2? that way you could tell what kiind2 of troll2 are iin the area wiithout haviing to phy2iically go. we could even make iit remote controlled ii thiink."

Karkat nodded. "EQUIUS STARTED SOMETHING LIKE THAT, SO NEPETA CLAIMS. TOO BAD HIS SUDDEN DEMISE PUT AN END TO THAT LITTLE PLAN."

Sollux was good with machines (almost as good as Karkat): coding, hacking, programming: but one really needed a fully built robot for that. "WE'VE HAD TO IMPROVISE WITHOUT THEM.”

"are any of the troll2 youve found 2o far, iinjured or not, any good with machiinery? ii mean ii could make the software but hardware ii2nt really my thiing..." He decided not to focus on the loss of Equius. Keep moving forward.

Karkat shook his head. "NOT SINGLE FUCKING ONE." This fact made Karkat miss the original twelve trolls even more. Each had had their own specific skill to bring to the table, to further the chances of the group no matter how infuriating some of those individuals were.. Now look at them. "ASK NEPETA….NO, ASK _SOMEBODY_ TO TAKE YOU TO EQUIUS' RESPITEBLOCK.. WE HAVEN'T CHANGED ANYTHING THERE SINCE......YOU KNOW...SO THERE MIGHT BE SOMETHING SALVAGEABLE." Too many dead friends.

"alriight iill check iit out. let2 hope there ii2 2omethiing there. iit could 2ave all your liive2."

Karkat's mouth twitched into a half-grin. "DON'T GET COCKY, SOLLUX. WE WERE DOING PRETTY FUCKING WELL WITHOUT YOUR SORRY ASS, YOU KNOW." Maybe not a totally true statement....but Sollux shouldn't know any better. ANYWAYS-" But his words were cut off as the world shifted around them, and they were thrown from their positions. The meteor rocked with the explosion as everything burst into madness. Screams and shouts echoed down the hallway, accompanied by the harsh sounds of battle, the clang of weapons. "WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING?" Karkat's blood ran cold as he struggled to get to his feet. The Condesce couldn't have found them.....right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I call this chapter 'abuse of italics'. Also, can you spot the non-homestuck references?


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spider8itch, Spider8itch,  
> Does whatever a Spider8itch does.

The rocking pitched Sollux into the wall, though luckily he didn't hit his head. So, a couple of creative expletives later, he was standing once more. He looked at Karkat, tensing at the sounds of battle in the hall. "plea2e tell me you have a weapon ii can u2e." Although he could spark, his psionics were still useless, and he was tired of letting everyone else fight on his behalf. Even if this wasn't about him (and he had a feeling it was), he should be armed.

Karkat gestured toward a cabinet helplessly and leaned against the wall. Shit, he couldn't fight with his leg fucked up this much. Regardless, he equipped his trademark sickle and tried to paste a halfway threatening look onto his face. Out in the hall, the fighting had stopped, replaced by an eerie silence, broken only by the patter of approaching enemies and the pair's own ragged breathing. 

The footsteps took the form of a group of unknown trolls that poured into the room, weapons at the ready, some bleeding from fresh wounds. In their midst stood a bloody Tavros, who had obviously tried and failed to fight off the invaders, and Vriska, who basically skipped into the room, a mischievous smile adorning her visage. While the invaders held Tavros steady and weaponless under watchful eyes, Vriska stood tall and proud. "Karkaaaaaaaat. I didn't think I'd see you here again. I had fifty 8oondollars on the assurance that the Empress would send you 8ack in a 8ody8ag. And it looks like Tavros was telling the truth, huh, Sollux? I guess you think you're too good to 8e the Condesce's 8itch like your useless ancestor." She laughed darkly, the strangers adding their raucous voices to the cadence.

Sollux shot Karkat a concerned glance, then made for the cabinet. He managed to get it open and grab the weapon (a knife) from it before the invaders came into the room, so even as his back was pressed against the closed drawer, he had a concealed weapon. That made him feel a little better. He bared his teeth at Vriska pretty much as soon as she started talking. "and youre two weak two be liike your own ance2tor and miind your fuckiing bu2iine22." He glared at her, although he could imagine he didn't look _particularly_ threatening pressed against the furniture.

"Oooh, the little psionic thinks he's got a 8ite. Tough. We've got an appointment to make and you two-" She gestured toward Sollux and Karkat. "-are the guests of honor. Other than me, of course. :::) " A flash of light surrounded her for a moment, fading away to reveal the thief’'s sunny god tier outfit. "I suppose coming peacefully is out of the question?"

"well you have _one_ thiing riight. good job 2piiderbiitch, iim proud," he managed, even as his vascular pump sped up to about twice its healthy rhythm as she came closer to them. He wondered if defending himself and his friend from being kidnapped was enough to cause a justified death.

Karkat gasped suddenly and fell back against the wall, his limbs trembling, face frozen in a grimace. Vriska merely rolled her eyes. "I don't need to fight you. A w8ste of my talents, really. You'll come with me 8ecause I have your precious moirail....or whatever you two are nowadays." On her forehead shone the mark of the Marquise: Vriska's symbol in the blue of her caste, reciprocated on the pate of one Karkat Vantas. He stood on his injured leg, pain forgotten in the embrace of the psychic link and his sickle pointed toward Sollux. "Now come along."

Sollux paled when he realized what she was doing. He didn't debate the moirail comment because he kind of had more important things to think about. The last time he'd been around Vriska's mind control... well, it hadn't ended very well. "v-vrii2ka, cant we talk about thii2?"

A kiss of psychic power washed over Sollux's mind, ebbing away when it proved fruitless. Apparently, this was one of the times where Vriska couldn't control her bipolar frenemy. Tavros, on the other hand, received the mark quite amiably. "Not really. You're lucky I'm 8eing this lenient as it is. Why ruin the moment? You know, my partner wanted to just 8low this ship to pieces, to not even give you the 8enefit of foreknowledge of your demise. 8ut I convinced her otherwise. You should be thanking me."

That might have been preferable. They had a _chance_ this way, but it wasn't much of one. Well, maybe he could do something... there were a bunch of other trolls here, but if he could disable Vriska, they might have a chance. "ii gue22... ii mean, iim grateful youre not kiilliing u2 or anythiing but," he stepped closer to her as he spoke, and he looked around, as if what he was going to say wasn't really for these other trolls' ears, but as soon as he was close enough, rather than finish the “secret.” he pulled out the concealed knife and tried to stab her side.

In an instant, Sollux was neutralized as hands from all sides closed in on him, though he did manage to prick Vriska's side. She cursed as blue blood dyed her orange clothes. "Damn it, you jerk, this is the thanks I get for trying to save your sorry asses?" She pulled the blade from her side and handed it to Karkat. "At least it’s just a pinprick. Though I guarantee that _his_ won't be if you don't play nicely with others." At her side, still under the effects of the psychic link, Karkat raised the blue-dyed blade to his neck, holding it against the pale grey skin. A small red smile opened beneath the razor-sharp blade. Vriska held onto a mask of indifference, but waged an internal war beneath the surface. Maybe this was taking it too far....she didn't really want to kill them. Even Tavros was off limits for the moment. But she had to keep up the mirage for her underlings. Couldn't show weakness. That was liable to get her culled.

Sollux froze and put his hands up to show he wasn’t planning any other tricks. "2top, ii get iit. ii wont do anythiing el2e." Vriska couldn't really kill Karkat right? If she was delivering them back to the Empress, wouldn't she want them both alive? But it was Vriska, so for all he knew, she _didn't_ need Karkat's life. He couldn’t risk being wrong about her motives. No more friends were going to die because Sollux was being an insolent asshole. He couldn’t let that happen.

Vriska put a hand to her injured side, applying pressure to ease the bleeding. "The hell you won't. Get moving, dum8ass." And with that, the odd little party made its way down the hall: Vriska leading the way, flanked by the brain-washed duo, and Sollux following behind in the midst of a dozen or so strange trolls. They came from all colors of the hemospectrum except for those superseding and including Vriska's cerulean shade. Not that the ceruleanblood had ever put much stock into that archaic system. 

Soon, all three prisoners were locked in the hold of an enemy ship, flying to who knows where. It wasn't long before Tavros pulled through, gaining consciousness almost immediately after the link was severed. He was used to such psychic entanglements at this point. "sOLLUX, I....tHIS MIGHT NOT BE THE BEST TIME, CONSIDERING BUT...wHAT EXACTLY HAPPENED?"

By the time Tavros 'woke up' Sollux was sitting down against the wall, head buried in his raised knees. Just when things _might_ have been going well, Spiderbitch of all people shows up to fuck everything up. It was almost worse than not escaping at all. Well, it was worse, because she had Karkat and Tavros, too. He sighed and looked up from his knees. "2piiderbiitch iinvaded our place and miindcontrolled everyone. and now here we are: iin the belly of her 2hiip."

"uMM...i REMEMBER FIGHTING AND STUFF BUT, uHHH VRISKA WAS ALREADY HERE, yOU KNOW, sHE'S LIVED ON THE METEOR FOR A LONG TIME." Flashes of the battle filled his mind. He supposed that Vriska must have let them in. Tavros remembered fighting them, injuring a couple before being overwhelmed. He remembered the pain of multiple wounds, his rust blood running down his arms and legs from shallow cuts. And he remembered Vriska laughing as they struck him down. "aRADIA INSISTED THAT SHE STAY WITH US, eVEN THOUGH KARKAT WANTED NOTHING TO DO WITH HER.....sHE NEVER HELPED OR WANTED ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE REVOLUTION, jUST WANTED TO STAY IN HER ROOM WITH ALL HER IRONS." But it had been a long while since she had joined them. What had changed?

"well iit look2 liike KK wa2 riight. 2he2 a2 much of a biitch a2 ever and ha2 a mob of croniie2 now. ii dont know what 2he2 planniing two do wiith u2, but ii dont thiink ii really want two..." Most likely they all had some pretty prices on their heads and the pirate in her was intending to cash in.

They lapsed into silence for some time, not really knowing what else to say. What could you say when this very well might be the end? At least, the quiet lasted as long as everyone's favorite nubby horned troll remained in dreamland. But that didn't last forever. "WHAT THE EVERLOVING FUCK? WE GOT CAPTURED BY THAT SPIDERBITCH, USING HER SHITTY MIND CONTROL AND… FUCK!" Karkat slammed his fist against the floor, no doubt leaving a bruise for tomorrow. When in doubt, yelling and hitting things seemed the right approach to take. Better than bursting into tears, he supposed, though, truthfully, his heart yearned to take the latter option. It was all over...

Sollux looked up at Karkat's outburst. "ii really fuckiing hate miindcontrol," he said quietly. The line of red on Karkat's neck had dried, but it reminded him just how helpless they were in this situation. She could take control of any of them at any time (well Sollux was weird, but anyway) and if she wanted she could have one of them get up and kill the other two. Easily.

Karkat sat up, cursing under his breath. Fuck, what had happened? He rubbed his neck, only to come away with a crust of blood. What on Alternia was Aradia thinking, inviting that snake into their den? Vriska had fucking killed her not too long ago and now.....now they were all dead. And Sollux... "I'M SORRY, TAVROS, SOLLUX. THIS IS ALL MY FAULT." He was supposed to be the leader, to protect the others from dangers like Spiderbitch. But he had failed. Failed the game, failed his friends, failed at life.

"iit2 not your fault KK. fuck, iit2 not any of our fault2. thii2 ii2 vrii2ka2 fuckiing doiing and her2 alone. 2he2 the only who 2hould be blamed and 2he _wiill_ fuckiing pay." He wasn't sure how, but, hey, he may get his psionics back... eventually (in a couple hours? He didn't know how strong the drug affecting him was) and he might be able to do something then. Maybe.

Karkat slumped against the wall. "AT LEAST THEY DIDN'T GRAB NEPETA OR ARADIA." Now it was only a slightly smaller portion of the resistance that would be killed. Hooray. Maybe those two could figure something out. Find their way into another universe. Or maybe this was just one more doomed timeline that he had shunted his group of friends into. "I SUPPOSE WE'RE OFF TO THE BATTLESHIP CONDESCENSION." The place of his nightmares.

"Guess again, Karkat." Vriska strolled into view, swinging the keys to their cage on one long finger and looking as smug as ever. "Did you enjoy the ride?"

If only he could control his psionics enough to pull those keys into their cage. It would solve all their problems. Well, not all, but a lot, if he managed to knock Vriska out too. "iit ii2 liiterally iimp22iible two enjoy thii2 fuckiing riide, a2k a le22 2tupiid que2tiion. liike, ii dont know, where the hell are you takiing u2?"

"Alright, Sollux. 'Where the hell are you taking us?' See, it doesn't really work when _I_ say it, but it still sounds like a stupid question. Nice work." God, no wonder she had never had dealings with him except for that little stunt with Aradia. Was he always this inane? "Regardless, my partner wants to meet with you 8efore we take our next steps." Immediately, her glowing sigil appeared over the brows of Sollux's companions. She threw the keys to the closer of the two, Tavros, who dutifully opened the door. "Shall we?"

"you know what ii fuckiing meant," he growled. Dammit, she had his friends again. He sighed and stood up, then stepped through the open door. "who2 your partner?" Why did he even bother? He was sure he'd find out soon enough.

"Oh, I don't think you'll like her. She's a lot like me, after all." But that was by design. Vriska had idolized the Marquise since she first discovered the latter's journal, struggled emulate her in any way she could, even taking up the infamous pirate’s typing quirk in deference. But, she had outgrown that stage of hero-worship, of course. "I suggest you hold that foul tongue of your’s when you meet her. She's not as forgiving as I am, plus you're a stranger. A stranger with a very large 8ounty."

He was right. He hated being right sometimes. What ever happened to that laughable period in Vriska’s life when she decided she to be a good person? Why couldn't that have lasted a little longer? "youre fuckiing 2elliing u2 out? ii wii2h ii could 2ay ii wa2 2urprii2ed."

She smirked and shrugged."We haven't decided yet. That's what this interview is a8out. It wouldn't be fair to simply kill all of you without pretense, with as much as you've helped our organization out over the sweeps." She grinned a bit. Her mission had been dreadfully boring, but yielded high rewards. Errant trolls were hard to come by, which meant that stocking her pirate crew and recruiting for the revolution met an immutable barrier of competition, much to the detriment of Karkat and his merry band of misfits. "May8e we can come to an arrangement that doesn't involve your friends' 8rutal murders and your long-term position as a psychic 8attery."

Wait, so his friends' lives depended on his being polite? God, then Sollux had probably just signed their death warrants. He took a couple deep breaths before responding to her. "yeah, that would be iideal."

Vriska smirked and led the way through the labyrinthine network of halls that comprised much of the ship. They passed trolls of all shapes, sizes, ages, and blood shades. Quite a large crew: all come to see the VIPs that Serket had captured. Eventually, they made their way to the Helm of sorts, though they scarcely needed a Helmsman to navigate. Sitting on one of the captain's chairs was Marquise Spinneret Mindfang, absentmindedly juggling her deadly dice in the palm of one hand. She looked up and put away her “toys” when the small party made its way toward her. "Well done, Vriska. It seems your task wasn't too ‘mind-num8ing’ after all." She surveyed the prospects before her with a discerning eye: cold and calculating. The younger Serket gave Sollux one last smirk before taking her place beside the legendary Ancestor, and, with snap of her fingers, removing her hold over Karkat and Tavros. They started awake much quicker than the time before as though woken from a dream: sleepwalkers with little grasp of passing events. "Welcome, little descendants." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hooray! Another chapter. And only like... _two_ weeks late.
> 
> Sorry, rabid horde of screaming fans which totally exists. Schism and I are trying our best to get these out to you on a seemingly continuous basis. Unfortunately, that awful place referred to in hushed tones as "reality" has a propensity to get in the way. 
> 
> On the bright side, it seems the gigapause is almost over. _Viva la Homestuck, motherfuckers._
> 
> ~kmarzski


	5. Chapter 5

Sollux kept his head held high as they walked through the ship, even as the crew stared. He had a feeling Vriska, and whoever she had partnered with, would be more impressed with that than with utter resignation. He wouldn't bow his head. Sollux rethought that a bit when he saw Vriska's "partner." Well, shit. Negotiations were open now, he supposed. Now if only his legs would stop shaking.  


"WHAT THE FUCK, VRISKA? QUIT IT WITH THAT MIND CONTROL SHIT. YOU KNOW THAT'S CHEATING," Karkat roared as soon as the binding on his mind fell away. The Marquise held his gaze, weighing and judging, but Karkat did not back down, returning the stony gaze with one filled with fire. "This one is The leader, 8ut his competence has yet to 8e seen. And there, the Summoner's whelp." She gestured toward an underling, who immediately ferried the drowsy rust blood away, down a forgotten corridor. The Marquise then looked to Sollux. "And the would-8e Helmsman, 8ack from the 8rink of death. I must say, I did not expect you to appear 8efore me so soon."  


Sollux watched as Tavros was ushered away, then turned as the Marquise began talking about him. "yeah well iim ju2t full of surprii2e2," he said, meeting her gaze to the best of his ability. The question was what this woman wanted and how they were possibly going to give it to her. She seemed amused at least by Karkat though, so Sollux assumed that was a good thing.  


The Marquise stood, towering from the high ground over the captives. "If it were solely up to me, you and your’s would never have set foot here. That misera8le excuse of an outpost would have 8ecome your 8urial ground: a more wholesome end than the one the other high8loods have in store for you. And more honora8le." She sauntered toward them as she spoke, seeming to float over the ground for as much as her feet stumbled over it, but there was something predatory there as well: a leanness to her step. She was dangerous. "8ut my descendant lauded your worth, if not as pawns then as 8argaining chips. They are hunting you most diligently, of course. Less congenial characters than I and mine." She stopped a few feet away, her hand playing over the hilt of her weapon. "Tell me, little ones, why I should not end your journey here, whether 8y mine own 8lade or 8y the machinations of my enemies?"  


He hadn't seen Karkat for a long time, but Sollux figured his friend might say something along the lines of "you don't want to kill us because you're not bad people" or "because deep down you believe in equality," and that clearly wasn't going to fly. What did they have to offer though? Almost no resources, low blood; they had bounties on their heads; what could they do? What did Vriska love? Adventure... "iif you kill u2 now, or hand us over two the Empre22, as you 2aiid, our journey wiill end. all the exciitement, of the cha2e, of defyiing the government and the Empre22, of doiing 2omethiing completely unexpected, wiill be over. iif, however, you let u2 liive, youll 2ee we have 2kiill2 we can lend to your operatiion2, and youll be part of what wiill probably end up beiing one of the mo2t exciitiing cha2e2 of your liife." He met the Marquise's eyes as he spoke. Please let her believe him.  


The Marquise loosened her sword from its sheath. "8old words from one who crawled from 8ondage on the corpses of friends. And into the arms of another captor, no less. You have my condolences."  


Vriska Serket watched the proceedings with glee, enjoying the fear and respect that the Marquise gained just by speaking. "Sollux, we're well aware that your revolution has _nothing_ to its name other than a loud-mouthed mutant, a flighty god tier, two rping fools, and now a whipped psionic. Those aren't exactly winning odds, especially when compared to the Condesce's massive fleet."  


The Marquise nodded. "I have no false confidence as to our forces. They would fall easily to Her Imperious Condescension at this point." She smiled grimly, with a touch of wistfulness. "Though it would be quite the battle.”  


Sollux tensed as her sword loosened, and he didn't exactly relax at the words that accompanied it. Right now wasn't really the time to be feeling guilty about Kanaya and Terezi (although how the fuck did she know that?). "iim not telliing you two 2upport the revolutiion, iim telliing you not kiilliing or iimpriisoniing us wiill, iin the end, be a lot more iintere2tiing than anythiing el2e" He paused then looked at the Marquise because she seemed more receptive to this idea. "iit would be quiite the adventure"  


"And you are so interesting as to warrant more of my attention?" The Marquise's eyes sparkled malevolently. "My descendant was not wrong. You have little to no chance against the Empress - even less than I - yet you parley these words as if victory was assured. If Vriska had not taken you then, you would now 8e standing 8efore Her Imperial Condescension, as one of your number is at this moment."  


Vriska looked away. She had failed in that regard. With the imperial fleet closing in, there was no time to look, no time to ask questions. Five trolls had been on the meteor. Only four had left.  


Karkat, who up until this point had been gnawing his lip to keep angry exclamations from bursting out, felt his bloodpusher tighten. "THOSE BASTARDS HAVE NEPETA?"  


Shitshitshit. Well, his next argument didn't really apply anymore. Karkat would try to go after Nepeta. He had to, didn't he? He couldn't leave her, not after everyone he'd lost. Still, there might only be one way to convince the Serkets that this was the right decision. "ii was 2ugge2tiing runniing. an exciitiing cha2e," he said quietly. He bit his lip, then, feeling terrible about considering leaving her behind, he straightened his back. "or you could watch u2 work. be iimpre22ed by how we save our friiend, then make your decii2iion later."  


The Marquise shook her head. Pitiful, really, the musings which he thought could save him. "My assumed pleasure at your struggles does not compare to the prestige and monetary gain I would receive from the Empress were I to hand you over to her forces. I have heard enough." The Marquise stalked back to her throne of sorts.  


"YOU BITCH."  


The elder Serket paused. Vriska's eyes widened as she and whole room latched their eyes on the only troll brave/stupid enough to insult one such as the Marquise to her face.  


Karkat was seething, barely able to stay still. His adversary turned toward him ever so slowly. "WHERE THE FUCK DO YOU GET OFF, PLAYING GOD OVER THE REST OF US? YOU'RE NO BETTER THAN THE FUCKING EMPRESS, CONTENT TO WATCH THE WORLD BURN SO LONG AS YOU LAND ON TOP. WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT?"  


The Marquise stared down at him for a long while, contemplating. How dissimilar he was from his ancestor, and yet how alike? “No one gives us the right, little Sufferer. We take it.”  


Karkat narrowed his eyes. Did she just quote Troll Supernatural?  


Sollux had just opened his mouth to debate the decision when Karkat spoke up. He turned towards his friend, shock, mingled with not a small amount of fear, etched onto his face. When Karkat was done, he gulped, then turned back to the older Serket. "and you gloat two who? where2 the pre2tiige iin capturiing three doomed kiid2? iif the Empre22 ii2 guaranteed to catch u2, iit2 not partiicularly iimpre22iive for you two do iit."  


Vriska rolled her eyes. They were never going to convince the Marquise to spare them. Not with Sollux trying to play negotiator in between Karkat's random outbursts. "Then 8y letting you go, we would lose the 8enefits of your capture, which according to you is still inevitable." God, Heroes of Doom were depressing. She turned toward her ancestor. "8ut if we give them to the Condesce, it'll be the end of an era. No more pillaging, plundering, or ransacking. She'll graft our armada into her forces as Sollux gets grafted into the Battleship Condescension." She looked toward the other troll. "No offense."  


"but ii'm not 2aying let u2 go. let u2 joiin you. our very pre2ence wiill create drama and iintere2t. Vriiska2 riight, beiing iin the Empre22' favor would be boriing as hell. and please, iif ii got offended every tiime the helm was brought up, ii'd con2tantly be screamiing 'triggers!!'" Sollux said, rolling his eyes.  


"Join us," the Marquise repeated quietly. What a ludicrous thought.  


"FUCK THAT. I'M NOT ALLYING WITH THAT WITCH. SHE'D SELL US FOR PROFIT AS SOON AS IF FIT HER SHITTY SCHEMES. WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS. NEPETA....WE HAVE TO GO!" He probably would have made a run for the door, too, if Vriska hadn’t been glaring daggers at him, the unspoken message loud and clear. Mind control would help him if self control failed.  


"Join us? How childish. Your presence is 8othersome and plagued with misfortune. Do you think the Condesce is without spies even here?" She equipped her weapon. "The Summoner's descendant: his life is in Vriska’s hands. However, death is the safer alternative for the pair of you.."  


“beiing 2old or betrayed ii2 better than beiing kiilled KK. thiink. they arent goiing two kiill Nep, they cant. shell be u2ed a2 baiit two briing u2 back there. 2he 2tay2 aliive a2 long a2 we do.” His piece said, Sollux turned toward the Marquise, sparking as much as he was able, and growled, "ju2t try iit biitch"  



	6. Chapter 6

The Marquise studied the pair for a moment. Hackles raised, eyes promising bloodshed, it almost made one forget they were weaponless in enemy territory. For lowbloods to have this much strength of will, even when victory was as attainable as a dream of a dream . . . stirred some very old memories from centuries past.

The Ancestor looked to her progeny and shared a short conversation through the meeting of minds. After a time, Vriska nodded and descended toward the captives, if a bit begrudgingly. The Marquise bit back an indulgent smirk, before sparing the rebels a passing glance."Good Luck, Little Descendants." And with that, the interview was over. The pirate queen took her place at the helm, studiously ignoring her previous captives. They were no longer her concern. 

Vriska retrieved her sword and ushered Karkat, oddly still under his own power, and Sollux out of the room. No murder today. "I guess she liked you. And here I was expecting you both to turn into colorful stains on the floor." Who knew how many trolls that had happened to before.

Sollux glanced to Karkat as if to ask, “theyre lettiing u2 go? why?' Then sighed and followed Vriska. "ii have surviived two much two be 2truck down by an egotii2tiical woman with an iinflated 2en2e of 2elf-iimportance," he told her as she expressed her surprise. Well, to be fair, he was kind of surprised too. His sparking eased.

Vriska laughed dimly. "I'd keep the vitriol to a minimum while we're still in hearing range. They don't call us the capricious 8loods for nothing." Soon enough, the odd ensemble made it to the hangar, a vast room with a wide assortment of vessels ready for the taking. Vriska led her charges over to one of the oldest models, a decrepit old thing that barely had parts enough for it to be called a ship. "This one will do." She patted the faded exterior. "The engine is shot to pieces. It can 8arely fly at all, really, 8ut it's the 8est you've got." This was the only ship they could afford to lose.

Sollux examined it. True, he’d never known _much_ about ships themselves, but as the fate of the Helm loomed closer in his future, he’d picked up some knowledge. He frowned. "iit2 better than nothiing. how long wiill iit take two take off?" That would be a pretty vital piece of information if they were going on a rescue mission.

Vriska rolled her eyes. "I guess that depends on you. 8y itself, this thing could take off in....I don't know, five minutes? And that's if the engines are working at full capacity. Of course, the process could be aided exponentially 8y a 8it of psychic prodding." She tapped her forehead with a finger. "You once moved a meteor with those psionics of yours. One dinky ship shouldn't be a pro8lem then." 

Karkat growled as he looked over the ship. This bucket of bolts would never fly. "FAN-FUCKING-TASTIC. THIS OFFER IS JUST LIKE A DEATH SENTENCE ONLY IT HAS THE SHITTY POSSIBILITY OF GETTING US CAUGHT, TOO." 

Vriska scowled. "Then would you like me to use my sword to end your misery? I can assure you, it will 8e much quicker."

"fiive miinute2?" Fuck, that wasn't going to do them any good. Yeah, he could use his psionics, as soon as they started working again, but if they were disabled while they were trying to escape or he got too injured to properly fly it... it was a risk, certainly. He sighed. "yeah, ii could probably make iit fly.." He looked at Karkat. "iit2 better than nothiing."

"Well, have fun on your suicide mission. I can't say I'm sorry to 8e missing out." She turned to leave. "And don't worry about Tavros. Worst case scenario, I'll get 8ored and kill him." But before either of them could react, she disappeared in the crowded room. 

Karkat shook his head. "FUCKING SPIDERBITCH. IF WE SURVIVE THIS, I'M COMING BACK AND BLOWING THIS PLACE SKY HIGH. SHE AND THE MARQUISE CAN GO TO HELL FOR ALL I CARE."

"my thought2 exactly. two bad, miind control would have been a great abiiiity to have on our 2iide.. 2o, do you want to strategiize fiirst or 2ee iif we can make thii2 thiing fly? ii cant.. ii cant help much yet. not for another hour at lea2t." Fucking useless. Slip one syringe into him and all of sudden he's just a walking, talking sack of meat. How does anyone put up with him? Or attempt to protect him?

"WE SHOULD GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE FIRST. THERE'S NO TELLING WHEN THOSE BLUE-BLOODED PIRATES WILL CHANGE THEIR MINDS AND DECIDE TO CULL US." He hopped into the cockpit and started pressing random buttons, hoping that he remembered how to fly the damn thing. 

His hands shook slightly as they worked. The Battleship Condescension....fuck, this wasn't happening. They had to save Nepeta, he knew that, but still..."SOLLUX, GET IN HERE. YOU KNOW HOW THIS SHIT WORKS, RIGHT?"

"yeah youre probably riight." He watched Karkat for a second. It was clear he had no clue what he was doing. He stepped inside then closed the hatch. "alriight. KK, 2top. let2 2ee what weve got here." He passed his hands over the controls. Okay, there was the joystick, engine, brake, stabilizers. 

He started the engine. The ship shook so much he was half afraid it would just fall apart around them. He had a brief battle with the stabilizers, but after that he had it set up to take off, at least as soon as it warmed up. He cursed quietly through the majority of that process.

Karkat stopped playing with the machine as soon as Sollux stepped in - why did they make these things so needlessly complicated? - but even with his friend at the helm it took them a good while before the ship was floating in midair, and even longer before it flew from the Marquise's hangar into open space. "THIS SHIP....WE'RE NOT GOING TO WIN ANY FUCKING AWARDS FOR SPEED OR STEALTH." 

But at least it flew. 

"WHERE THE HELL EVEN ARE WE?" 

"about fifty clicks from the Battleship Condescension," came the reply from the red pixie sitting behind them.

"no were not- augh! what the fuck!?" Sollux said as the new voice piped up between them. Okay, granted, he was pretty tired and maybe not at the top of his game observance wise, but he hadn't noticed anyone else here. So what the fuck just talked? He looked around.

Aradia Megido smiled as the pair whirled on her. Really, you couldn't pull anything over on these two. "i'm glad to see you two are okay. sorry for all of the drama, but it had to turn out this way, you'll see." She felt like Vriska at times like these with so many irons in the fire, but all time loops had to be closed, even the Ancestors'. And it was the Maid of Time's job to clean up the mess.

Sollux's eyes widened. "AA" he whispered, not quite believing it. Then he sighed. Time loops. Destiny. He kind of hated all that stuff, especially after denying that he'd end up like his ancestor for so long. To hear that all this was part of some 'Plan' with a capital P wasn't exactly making him excited.

Aradia pointed in a seemingly random direction, full of empty space. "fly in that direction for 23 klicks, stall the engines for a minute and a half, then continue upward at a gradient of 47 degrees until you see the battleship. that should keep you out of the enemy's sight." Or so she hoped. Space wasn't really her forte, but, from what she'd seen, this was the only way for them to get close enough to the ship. "i'd love to stay and chat, but i really don't have the time! go. i'll be waiting for you." And with that, she disappeared, leaving only a splash of red fairy dust and the faint smell of cherries.

He sighed. "we had better do what 2he 2ay2 on the off-chance 2he know2 what 2he2 talkiing about. iit 2ound2 liike tiimiing ii2 kind of iimportant here." He set up the ship start with those directions, then summoned a couple sparks to his palm. Still blocked, but almost there... "we need a plan"

Karkat watched Sollux's sparking hand with a bit of envy. His friend could use psionics at almost any time: a huge advantage over most other trolls. But Karkat was next to useless without his sickle which, thanks to Spiderbitch, was now under new ownership. "I GUESS WE CAN'T GO IN THERE GUNS BLAZING THIS TIME. THIS MISSION SHOULD SOLELY BE TO SAVE NEPETA." His fists tightened. No matter how close he was to his enemies, he had to focus. Nepeta's safety came first. "BUT I HAVE NO FUCKING IDEA HOW WE MANAGE THAT."

"take the control2 for a minute, I need a 2ec two thiink. well remember really..." he closed his eyes, trying to think back to when he first arrived on the Battleship Condescension. "ii woke up iin cell but there wa2nt actually anyone there. the guard was iin the hallway out2iide. ii dont know where the iinterrogatiion rooms are..." he was mostly just speaking aloud to himself at this point. "but iif we can avoiid GZ there are map2 iin the vent2. 2he probably wouldnt be taken 2traiight to the throne room although I cant iimagiine theyd be very subtle..." He sighed, then opened his eyes. "ii thiink we need to get iinto the vent2."

"BUT IF GAMZEE FUCKING FINDS US, I DON'T THINK HE'LL PLAY GAMES THIS TIME. PROBABLY JUST CULL US STRAIGHTAWAY." Just thinking about his former moirail put Karkat's teeth on edge. "SO...WE NEED A DISTRACTION. SOMETHING TO DRAW EVEN GAMZEE'S VIEW FOR A WHILE." But it still couldn't let the highbloods know of their presence. Maybe Vriska was right. This was sounding more and more like a suicide mission with every half-baked plan.

"ii could cra2h the 2hiip iinto the 2iide." He frowned at the control panel, looking for something that resembled an autopilot. ii could program iit two take off and cra2h iinto the 2iide of the 2hiip a2 2oon a2 we get off. we would have to 2teal an e2cape pod iin order to leave but iit would cau2e quiite the dii2tractiion." He bit his lip. That was a terrible plan, but nothing better was occurring to him.

"BUT HOW DO WE GET OFF THIS FUCKING THING? WE'D HAVE TO LAND IN THE BATTLESHIP CONDESCENSION THEN SEND THE SHIP BACK OUT AND...." That wouldn't work. Why the fuck was everything so complicated? Couldn't their lives just be easy for once? Karkat shook his head, trying to dislodge pessimistic thoughts. "WAIT.....WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER OF THE E%ECUTIONER? WAS HE ON BOARD?"

He closed his eyes, trying to think. "ii thiink ii 2aw a blueblood once or twiice that fiit hii2 de2criiptiion. ii would iimagiine he would be near the engiine2, unle22 he was iin hii2 priivate quarter2. a22umiing he2 even on board. why?" He stalled the ship, as per Aradia's commands.

"I HATE TO SAY IT, SOLLUX, BUT THERE ARE A LOT OF SIMILARITIES BETWEEN US AND OUR ANCESTORS. EQUIUS AND NEPETA WERE MOIRAILS BEFORE.....AND DARKLEER WOULDN'T KILL THE DISCIPLE FOR SOME REASON. HE EVEN SUFFERED BANISHMENT FOR IT." He sat back in his chair, thinking. "MAYBE WE COULD CONVINCE HIM TO HELP US FOR HER SAKE. HE'S FRIENDS WITH THE MARQUISE, TOO. THROWING HER NAME AROUND MIGHT SWAY HIM AS WELL..." It _might work._ Assuming they could even get on the ship, that is.

He looked at him, and then sighed. "the la2t thiing ii want to do ii2 empha2iize the 2iimiilariitiie2 between u2 and our ance2tor2," he looked away, fiddling with the stabilizers, "but that may be our be2t plan. 2o we get iin and hope he2 wiith the-" Unlike this dinky little ship, the Battleship operated on one main engine. The one Sollux was really trying to avoid. "that he2 workiing? what iif 2omeone el2e i2 there? ii dont know how el2e we would fiind hiim." He adjusted the angle of the ship and restarted the thrusters. "well be there soon."

Aradia floated in the empty air - a red speck in a sea of black - contemplating her next move. She could feel the Battleship Condescension was just out of sight, pulsing and moving with hundreds of trolls, both unwilling and willing passengers. And underneath it all, the cries of the Helmsman....but that wasn't why she was here. Though, to be fair, that reason still eluded her. All of the voices agreed: she must be present at this exact point at this exact time. But why? She turned as another ship approached, a clanking thing that should have been destroyed before allowed to fly again. And inside... "sollux?"

He blinked. There was Aradia . . . but she looked confused for reason. Oh. Timelines. That made sense he supposed. Still a little pale from contemplating the helm, he just raised a hand in greeting. He looked at Karkat. "hopefully thii2 mean2 well get 2ome help.at lea2t we may get adviice.."

Aradia sailed toward them with not a little bit of confusion. The dreambubbles had told her that Sollux was alive, captured but alive. Why was he now piloting a ship with Karkat toward his enemies' lair? "....i'll hear the full story later. what are you doing here now and how can i help?" Good gosh, if they were caught.... 

After a very disjointed dissertation with a high amount of expletives from Karkat, Aradia nodded thoughtfully. "i see....well, i must have a good reason for doing all of this, and this time loop _has_ been bothering me as of late. " She nodded again to herself. "i can give you a window of time to reach the ship, but it will be close, maybe enough time to reach the hangar. Beyond that, though, i dont know." Using her powers to this extent would leave her basically defenseless, which perhaps wasn't the wisest position when one is so close to old enemies. However, she could see no alternative.

He nodded. "thank2 AA. You dont by any chance know where to fiind the E%excutor do you? wed rather not have to run around the entiire 2hiip looking for hiim, although iif that2 what we have to do.." he sighed, "ii gue22 we have a couple place2 we can check fiir2t." He primed the ship for whatever maneuver it would be required to perform next.

"hmm....sorry, Sollux. with your ancestor in such a....delicate position, it only makes sense for Darkleer to be by his side, trying to make the ship fly without its power source." And not far behind would be Dualscar....though maybe that one wasn't a given. Hopefully. 

Aradia closed her eyes, concentrating on the flow of time surrounding them. She raised her arms, glowing slightly with red energy, and shot them toward the ship. Immediately, the cogs of her aspect surrounded the battleship, freezing it in place. Time fought against her, seeking to flow its natural course. Aradia held it steady. Freezing Bec Noir had taken a similar amount of effort, but at least he was a single target, and a small one. This was a on a massive scale and, though she was stronger than before, there were still powers on the ship that rivaled Jack's, warring against her time lock. "go," she ordered through clenched teeth.

As soon as he got Aradia’s signal, Sollux pushed the ship forward. It groaned and shuddered in protest against all the sudden starts and stops but- with a little help from Sollux- it held together.

The thought crossed his mind that if Aradia wasn’t strong enough to keep what could only be a time lock up, or if she’d mistimed this at all, they’d be seen immediately. They were traveling directly in front of The Battleship Condescension for fuck’s sake. 

Sollux shook his head and concentrated on just getting to the ship bay. He psionically pulled the doors open enough to shove their hunk of scrap metal through and then pushed said hunk through the entrance. 

It wasn’t a graceful landing, but they were alive. The door opened and Sollux crawled out. He could just barely make out a red form hovering in the vacuum of space. He briefly waved to Aradia then waited for Karkat to climb out of the pod. As soon as they were both out, he grabbed Karkat’s hand and pulled him toward the bay doors- into the bowels of the ship. 

“we have two get two the Helm,” he explained as he walked. “we have two get to the Helm and then- fuck, KK do me a favor and ju2t dont let me thiink, dont let me thiink at all untiil we get off thii2 godforsaken piiece of metal”

He knew where to go. It was horrible, but when he paused he could feel the battleship underneath him, as if he were already one with it. This was wrong, so so wrong. “ii know where two go” he said as he continued pulling Karkat. He knew where the Helm was. 

Karkat ran down the corridor with Sollux, trying to control his ragged breathing and the fear. The overpowering fear that set his limbs quaking, that was shared by Sollux in some ways. They were really here, on the Battleship Condescension. It seemed like a dream, a horrible joke of the universe. His wrists itched fretfully just thinking about it, like ghostly remnants of the shackles. Of his sign. They passed frozen drones as they ran, locked in a set point until Aradia's powers drained away. Other times it was trolls they saw, both high and low of blood; some impressed into service, others there for the fun of it. But all too soon the red energy surrounding them dissipated as the ship came to life again. Karkat cursed silently and pushed Sollux into a forgotten alcove as the ships inhabitants began stirring once more. They were on their own now. 

"HOW FAR AWAY ARE WE FROM THE HELM?" he asked quietly. Not a delicate question, considering, but there wasn't time to bandy words about.

Since leaving their crappy little ship, pretty much only one thought ran through Sollux's head was, “run”' He wasn't sure what would have happened if their flight had included more thinking than that, but it was possible it would have ended before it even began, because, as they ran past frozen highbloods and lowbloods in positions Sollux knew too well, with dim eyes and colorful lashes displaying their blood, Sollux realized that he was _back_. He'd escaped only to come _back_. Why? Probably because he was an idiot. He might have kept running, just relying on sheer luck to get him where he needed to go, even without Aradia's powers, but Karkat pulled him to safety before he could do something stupid.

Once in the alcove, he put his hands on his knees and tried to catch his breath and calm his racing vascular pump. Well, he managed one. "not far, another corridor or two. tho2e wiill probably be more crowded though." He was heading _towards_ the Helm… no, better not to think about that. He took a deep breath then looked at Karkat. "ready when you are"

Breathing heavily, Karkat nodded. They had made a good pace, a further distance than he had expected. Maybe they could pull this off…assuming the E%ecutioner was feeling generous. But these half-hopeful thoughts were jarred into silence in the next second as Karkat began trembling all over again. Across the way, wrapped in the shadows of his vents, was Gamzee Makara. The bars from the grate cut black shadows across his scarred face as he leered down at them, eyes glittering dangerously. “HeY, kArBrO,” he mouthed. Karkat took a rattling breath and tried to ignore the psycho clown glaring down at them. At least Sollux hadn’t seen him. His nerves were frayed as it is, especially with their close proximity to the Helm. 

“C’MON, LET’S GET THIS FUCKING OVER WITH.” When the coast was clear, Karkat pulled Sollux into the hall once more. It was both fortunate and unfortunate that only those with high power levels noticed the time shift. The drones and regular trolls scarcely seemed to notice the change. 

The Ancestors however were not so easily fooled. Not far away, Dualscar started at the sudden change in the time flow. He was aware during the freeze, struggled against Aradia’s grip, but it was only the drainage of her powers that released him. “WVHAT VWAS THAT?” he asked no one in particular, lowering his whip.

The only person in the room, the object of Dualscar’s scourge, raised her head dimly. Pain blunted her senses, but she was still present enough to feel the shift and remember its progenitors. “:33 > karkitty…”


	7. Chapter 7

Sollux nodded. He had noticed Karkat's anxiety, but given everything that happened every day, that had happened to his ancestor, and that usually happened to trolls with blood like Karkat's, Sollux wrote it off as understandable that he'd be shaking just being within proximity of this horrible place, much less actually being inside. He allowed Karkat to pull him back in the hall then looked around, making sure the coast was clear, before heading towards the Helm.

They wouldn’t have been able to manage it without Aradia’s help, as every frozen troll they passed reminded him. He wasn’t sure if he should feel reassured or more worried by how they thinned out as he and Karkat approached the Helm. There wasn’t anyone in the final hallway.

Sollux paused in front of the door. He took a moment to collect himself, looked at Karkat, then squared off with the door and pushed it open.

And stopped.

He didn’t notice whether or not there were any other trolls in the room because his attention was completely captured by the Helm and what was inside it. His ancestor. The Psiioniic looked more machine than troll with the purple bioware threaded through his skin sallow and muscles and goggles obscuring half his face. But despite the wires, Sollux saw enough of himself in the Helmsman to freeze, luminescent eyes wide as the blood drained from his face. That's what they wanted to do to him, that's what they were _going_ to do to him.

Karkat’s breath hitched in his chest when he saw the mangled form of the Helmsman, though he knew what Sollux was feeling right not was a thousand times worse. The Signless had suffered horribly, but at least he had _died_. This, however….Karkat shuddered. But it seemed that the Helmsman…it looked like his end was fast approaching as well. Yellow blood dripped from his body, from under those fuchsia goggles; from his mouth, his ears, running down his skin and wires and coating the floor in a grisly sheen.

For once, Karkat was speechless. No words could properly harness the emotions he was feeling. But the Helmsman - no, the Psiioniic- was not the only one in the room. In the corner, watching them behind a dark pair of shades, not unlike his late descendant, sat E%ecutioner Darkleer, or, as the Marquise called him, the Expatri8. On the table before him rested a wide assortment of machines in various states of disrepair, abandoned by their master in his surprise. Other than the Condesce, he didn’t get too many visitors down here. And even then, her attention was always focused on the Helmsman. Karkat, noticing the E%ecutioner’s gaze, cast a glance at Sollux, but the latter was too absorbed in his Ancestor, who must have looked like a glimpse into the future for his poor friend. Karkat gritted his teeth. That would _not_ happen, not while he lived. It was one of the things that made the Sufferer distasteful to him, despite their obvious similarities. It was fine to die for your cause, but not to allow your friends to suffer for your beliefs, for your mistakes. Not like this. Karkat gave Sollux a hesitant pat on the back before stalking towards the waiting blueblood.

Sollux didn't move. He wanted to just fall to his knees and not get up, and he wasn't entirely sure why that hadn't happened yet. Shouldn't the horrible sight in front of him deprive him of the ability to stand? He felt sick. That wasn't a _troll_ in there. He felt terrified. That wasn't a troll in there. If he hadn't felt Karkat's hand, Sollux might have just stood there, staring at his future, until someone came to do that to him, but the brief contact jerked him out of his trance. He put his hand to his mouth, so at least he’d catch himself if he started heaving, then somehow forced himself to look away and follow Karkat. Even as he stood though, Sollux trembled, false bravery shorn away by the sight of his gruesome Ancestor.

Karkat wanted nothing more than to grab his friend and get out of that awful mortuary. Sollux looked like he was about to collapse, and Karkat didn’t blame him. But if Nepeta was in this godforsaken place, they had to help her. He had to remind himself often or lose all hope. The E%ecutioner didn’t move as they approached, a fact Karkat found encouraging. He was massive, even larger than Dualscar, with the muscles that came from a life of labor. Karkat doubted that he could beat this Ancestor, even had he his weapon. And Sollux…Sollux was in no position to strife; barely able to stand but for sheer willpower.

“YOU’RE EQUIUS’ ANCESTOR RIGHT? E%ECUTIONER DARKLEER.” It seemed an age that he waited for a reply, sweating bullets all the while, but the only response was a grumbling assent, vibrating through the floorboards. “…WE NEED YOUR HELP. THE ROGUE OF HEART HAS BEEN TAKEN. THE DISCIPLE’S DESCENDANT. AND WE NEED TO SAVE HER, TO GET HER OUT OF THIS FUCKING PLACE.” He gestured to his surroundings, as though the gruesome scenery needed any more emphasis. He would have gone on, launched into a sermon that would have made his own Ancestor proud had not his conversational partner stood so silently. The E%ecutioner dwarfed them easily, rising so high that his horns brushed the ceilings. The ancient blueblood stared passively down at them for a few more moments, perhaps, Karkat thought, debating whether or not so squash them there and then or to call others to suppress them. Then, without so much as a word, Darkleer walked down the hallway, gesturing slightly that they were to follow. With one last look at the Psiioniic, and another towards Sollux, Karkat stumbled after the Ancestor, barely keeping up with the troll’s long strides.

Sollux tensed as the E%ecutioner stood up. If he'd felt small when compared to the Orphaner... well, he was perfectly aware that his troll could crush him like a bug. Or, worse, he could decide that the machinery currently making the ship move was a little too out of date, and there was a fresh and perfectly new battery trembling right in front of him. If the E%ecutioner was thinking about taking the resources available to him, however, he seemed to change his mind when Karkat spoke. When the Ancestor left the room, it took a second, but Sollux managed to will his legs to move then he followed Karkat. His longer legs made it easier for him to catch up, and he was able to breathe a little easier when the door to the Helmsblock shut behind them.

It was a bit easier to function away from the cloying scent of oil and death, much to Karkat's relief. The E%ecutioner led them down hallway after hallway, though they were all empty. When the blueblood approached, others disappeared as though he were a pariah, something detestable to be avoided and shunned. Karkat wondered at this as they walked. The Expatri8 had been banished after all...maybe he was taboo to the other highbloods here? It was quite strange. But after some time, the odd trio arrived before the gates of purgatory: an unadorned cell block, marked with a stream of olive blood. Their brobdingnagian guide walked straight in without a glance at either Karkat or Sollux, but the pair waited anxiously outside the door, wondering whether or not they should enter.

Inside, the Orphaner was busy...conversing with Nepeta. The green blood flowed freely while he worked, searching for information of the resistance, of the friends, of locations and places and people. Much to her credit, Nepeta remained nearly silent during the interrogation but for cries of pain and the whispered plea to her redrom crush. However, their bonding time was interrupted by the large form of the E%ecutioner. Dualscar paused in his efforts as the other Ancestor entered, slightly miffed at the interloper.

"IF YOU ARE HERE TO TELL ME THAT THE HELMSMAN HAS FOUND HIS GRAVE, HEADS WILL ROLL, HORUSS. I VWAS MADE TO UNDERSTAND THAT YOU COULD KEEP HIM ALIVE, AT LEAST FOR THE REST OF THIS SWVEEP."

Darkleer shook his head, making his stringy black locks swing from side to side. He then pulled a small monitor out from his belt, on which the picture of the maid of time shone, hovering not too far from the ship, but steadily disappearing in the distance. "THAT IS...THE HANDMAID'S DESCENDANT. A FRIEND OF THE LOVWBLOODS, SHOULD THE RUMORS PROVE TRUE." Though the Handmaid had proven a most admirable adversary, she served quite a different master than her descendant. "I HAVE NO USE FOR HER AT THE MOMENT. THE TIMELOCK WAS HARMLESS, AND IT WOULD BE MORE THAN DIFFICULT TO KEEP A GOD TIER DESCENDANT AT BAY."

His movements, still shaky from the fight with Kanaya, revealed a new set of wounds, three parallel claw marks, underneath his cloak. Nepeta herself had been hard enough to apprehend. Darkleer once again shook his head, widening the screen in the direction Aradia was headed to reveal another battleship fifty klicks away. The pirate ship of a certain enemy of Dualscar’s. He growled as he saw the implications. "I SOMETIMES REGRET HAVING CUT OUT YOUR TONGUE, DARKLEER. IT WVOULD BE THAT MUCH EASIER FOR YOU TO GET TO THE POINT. THIS IS ONE OF THE MARQUISE'S TRICKS....I MUST INFORM HER IMPERIOUS CONDESCENSION IMMEDIATELY." He pointed toward the prone body of Nepeta. "GUARD THIS ONE UNTIL MY RETURN. BUT BEVWARE HER CLAWVS."

The Orphaner made a hasty retreat, charging down the hallway as his anticipation grew. It had been quite a long while since he had seen his former kismesis, since he had drained her body of blood. It would be a great reunion, he thought, smiling cruelly. So great was his preoccupation that he stormed by both Sollux and Karkat, the epitome of obliviousness, on his way to see the Empress.

Sollux calmed down as they walked, although he held firm to the belief that the only way for him to get through this mission (at least at this point) was just not to think. That was proving to be a fine strategy at the moment because all they really had to do was follow the E%ecutioner. Really, that wasn't all that bad. He'd stopped shaking, though the blood never really returned to his face. Well, if he needed to fight, or make some snap judgements, Sollux could probably manage it. He looked at Karkat as they stood outside the cell block, but had a feeling that speaking wasn't really a good idea at the moment. As they waited (really, they didn't have to wait that long) Sollux could feel his psionics prickling between his horns and in his palms. Well, it looked like they were no longer weaponless, which was a huge relief. He was about to show Karkat, but right before he began to turn, a _very_ familiar figure charged out of the room. Sollux froze, which, on reflection was much better than if he'd gasped. He didn't move (or breathe really) until the Orphaner had been gone for at least a minute; then he took Karkat's arm and pulled him towards the door.

Karkat probably would have stood there for few sweeps, shocked into abject stillness had not his friend moved him. He was so fucking close...shit, they could've snatched at his cape as he walked past. Karkat shuddered. Out of all of the Ancestors, Dualscar was near the top of the "Do Not Approach" list, right behind the Condesce herself and the Grand Highblood. 

Because nobody needs a psycho clown in their lives. 

Karkat cast a furtive glance toward the ceiling, but found no trace of Gamzee. Not that that meant he wasn't there. The subjugglator could be lurking nearby, the broken wheels of his skewed mind turning in deformed circles.

Inside the room, the E%ecutioner stood stoically, awaiting their arrival with a passive look on his face. For all of his silence, the troll was quite smart. Brilliant even. But because of his softer feelings, weakness in the eyes of the highbloods, he would never speak again. That fact made Karkat immeasurably sad. "UM...THANKS, E%E....NO. THANK YOU, DARKLEER." The silent specter nodded in acceptance, then lumbered toward the door, presumably to watch for more enemies.

Karkat's attention then fell on Nepeta. She was lying in a loose fetal position, crying softly into her arm, trying to hide the pain. The blood across the floor showed that she had dragged herself there, probably to escape from Dualscar's grip. "NEPETA!" Karkat cried, running towards his friend, kneeling to take stock of her wounds. He sighed, slightly relieved. It wasn't as bad as it looked: most of the wounds were shallow: merely flesh wounds. But it still looked raw and painful.

"thank2, Darkleer..." he said quietly. "for... everythiing." For getting them here, yes, but also for not doing his job, for recognizing them as trolls that needed help, rather than a traitor and a battery. He was the first highblood (especially of the ones that knew his ancestor) that had treated him like a living troll, one that intended to stay that way. His thanks given, Sollux gave Karkat a moment with Nepeta before walking up to them. "ii can liift her if nece22ary. Nep, iim glad youre okay. KK, we have to get to the pod2" He glanced toward the door. The Orphaner would be coming back at some point...

"I CAN CARRY HER." Karkat didn't have a weapon, while Sollux's psionics needed to be preserved for an actual enemy, not carting around injured friends. Nepeta didn't speak, perhaps couldn't, locked away in her mind to escape the interrogation, to escape Dualscar.

"NEPETA...CAN YOU HEAR ME?" Karkat asked with a bit of trepidation. She was breathing, most of the bleeding had stopped, but her eyes looked so distant. That couldn't be a good sign.

"WE NEED TO GET HER OUT OF HERE. NOW." The question was, how? Aradia's trick wouldn't work twice, and, although they had escaped detection so far (mostly), they were still in the danger zone. Ripe for the culling should the wrong face walk through that door.

"you 2tiiill dont tru2t the vent2, right? that would be the be2t way two avoiid the Orphaner.." Sollux glanced nervously toward the door. The highblood could come in at any moment. He had his psionics back, yes, but he wasn't sure how long he could hold him off, especially with two other people to protect. "we have two get two the e2cape pod2. through the hall2 iif not the vent2" He didn't take his gaze off the door, even if Darkleer was there watching out for them.

Karkat shook his head in agreement. It might be preferable to found by Gamzee than by Dualscar, but Karkat wasn't too eager to hop into an early grave. "THROUGH THE HALLS....GODDAMMIT, THERE'S JUST NO FUCKING WAY TO WIN HERE, IS THERE?" Maybe someone with better knowledge of the ship would be helpful. Karkat turned toward the hallway, hoping to pantomime a conversation with the mute Ancestor, only to find an empty corridor. "...WHERE DID DARKLEER GO?"

"...2hiit." Sollux took a cautious step into the hall. "we dont have tiime two waiit for hiim two come back or not. weve got two go" He looked around, then took a deep breath. Sollux had his psionics, this would be a less desperate flight than he'd managed earlier today. "alriight 2tay behind me, we have two go" He began cautiously proceeding through the halls, stopping every once in a while to look around and listen.

Darkleer stood before the Psiioniic, nearly at level with the hanging figure though the other was placed on a pedestal. They had been flying together for so long. Darkleer scarcely remembered his days on Alternia, the days before he became the Battleship Condescension's mechanic. He was in charge of the Helmsman, making sure that the mechanical parts were in order, that their living battery wasn't being drained too quickly or slowly. To keep Sollux's ancestor in his own personal hell for as long as possible, or at least until his replacement could be found. And there he was. Wrapped up like a present on twelfth perigree. The grubling didn't even have his psionics at the time, nor did his friend, the Signless' child, have a weapon. It would have been the easiest thing in the world for Darkleer to incapacitate them. The young Vantas would be culled, of course, after a long and grisly torture regimen designed to teach them all what it meant to defy the hemospectrum and its high caste advocates, and young Captor would take the position he was always meant to obtain. And the process would repeat and repeat and repeat. Darkleer had no interest in condemning anyone else to this miserable fate. He had watched his own child be culled by the Grand Highblood's descendant, a true subjugglator by anyone's reckoning. They were dissimilar yet alike, but none deserved to live out the fate of their ancestors.

_2o....you really let them go. Karkat and 2ollux......_

Darkleer nodded as the familiar voice entered his mind, whispering behind the veil. The Psiioniic had long been too weak to speak, nor did he ever express a desire to.

_IIt feel2 lIIke IIts been an age sIInce we were that young.....Kankrii and II_

The Psiioniic chuckled in sad nostalgia, an act which escalated into a violent cough, racking his weakened body in waves. Darkleer remained where he was. Such instances where common enough nowadays, and the Psiioniic didn't want his pity. The attack ended as suddenly as it started, leaving the victim panting slightly.

_...II wIIsh II could talk wIIth hIIm under better cIIrcumstance2. but II dont have much......tiime left...anyway_

Darkleer stepped back to brace himself as the ship listed slightly to the side.. The Helmsman swung slightly in his harness, hissing as his blue-red powers shone around him, righting the ship almost against his will. No. If the Psiioniic weren't wishing for death, then perhaps Darkleer could've kept him alive for the rest of the sweep. As it stood, they would be lucky if he lasted the rest of the week.

_II dont 2uppo2e you would do the honorable thIIng here.....IIl be dead soon anyway_

The giant remained stoic. From day one, the Psiioniic had been attempting to persuade the E%ecutioner to cull him, to end his misery. It was a futile effort, but a ritual that they had completed anyway almost every day. The Helmsman’s limbs shook as the ship altered course, forcing more energy from his already weakened frame. It seemed as though the Orphaner was able to convince Her Imperious Condescension of the nearby threat. Mindfang’s ship fast approached. The Helmsman slumped in his harness as the engines worked furiously, racing to get to the new locale despite the beaten state of their navigator. He coughed again, spewing more mustard blood onto the floor, a honeyed yellow against the dark gold stains. His eyes dripped as well, though whether from blood or tears, Darkleer could never tell. The Psiioniic gritted his teeth and tried to focus on something else. Anything else.

_why.....dIId you help them?.....IIt couldnt be becau2e of.....MeulIIn's de2cendant. 2o....what 2tayed your hand?_

Darkleer ignored his query, not that he could have answered anyway. Banishment had been a luxurious life when compared to the life he was now leading: a seemingly endless term of servitude. When the other highbloods found him, he lost his freedom as well as his voice in the service of the Empress. This the Psiioniic knew. However, the ancient mage found it hard to believe that the E%ecutioner would suffer worse consequences for his rebellious actions all for the sake of someone's descendant, even one such as the Disciple's. But perhaps Darkleer _did_ do it for the Disciple. Perhaps he did it to spite his captors. Perhaps he felt pity for the poor, scared fools, lost in enemy territory. Perhaps he didn't know himself what had prompted the rash move of charity. 

_Cronu2....wIIll cull you hIIm2elf when hII2 den2e thIInkpan.........comprehend2 what2 happened. youre....a2 doomed a2 II am_

Darkleer nodded solemnly. The engines died down, the ship coming to a halt, giving the Helmsman some relief, if only for a short while. He sighed gladly. But the grim voice in the back of his mind told him that this couldn't last. Darkleer looked at his small monitor. They were in hailing distance of the ship, almost crossing paths with it. And it was a sight to behold, almost as massive as the Battleship herself, dyed the grim blood color of the Marquise's caste with a large white spider/lusus engraved on the shielding . Even so, it stood no chance against the Empress' massive convoy. At least....at the moment. Darkleer reached into his pack and equipped his stolen blade, the only weapon he had been able to hide away through the long years. Though it was not his weapon of choice, he couldn't bear the thought of doing what he had to with his bow. Not after all they had been through. The Psiioniic studied him, relief washing over his care-worn face.

_thank you..._

The E%ecutioner drove the knife home. And the ship died.


	8. Chapter 8

They ran and they kept running until the ship lurched to the side, throwing Sollux, at least, off balance. His eyes widened and he looked toward Karkat and Nepeta once he managed to get back on his feet. He tried to come up with the words to explain what was happening, but only managed a strained, "we have two hurry" The last time the ship lurched, the Psiioniiic's distress motivated the Orphaner into action, and Sollux didn't want to be around when that happened again. He'd come looking for them, he'd come looking for them and _find_ them. He started them off in another direction, a direction he hoped would lead them towards the escape pods, and then all hell broke loose. The ship pitched, throwing them to the floor, and alarms started to ring out through the halls.

Good god, Nepeta was heavy. Or maybe Karkat was just weak, but it took all of his efforts not to spill forward and pitch his friend into empty space as the ship lilted to the side. Karkat flashed Sollux a concerned look, hoping that the latter's . . . _connection_ to the ship could reveal some answers, but thought better than to ask once he caught a glimpse of his friend. Sollux was just barely keeping it together. Any added strain looked like it might break through the facade. They hurried along. But then the second wave of tipping hit, making the first instance look like wiggler's play. The ship leaned heavily forward, the prow dipping suddenly and swiftly. The floor beneath them rose up, seeking to surpass its position and become a wall. The corridor shifted from its horizontal position to a vertical, forcing all manner of things to come falling down its expanse, screaming or clanging as they fell. Karkat tumbled forward, only barely managing to snag some stray piping to keep himself from falling down. His knuckles whitened as the struggled to keep Nepeta steady.

The Helmsman was dead, the Helmsman was dead, the ship was dying, holyfuckingshit. Sollux hated the way Karkat was looking at him, how _concerned_ he looked, Sollux was supposed to be better than that, a tipping ship shouldn't threaten his self-control like this.. but it was, and despite his best efforts, it showed on his face. Seeing the Helm, and his Ancestor, had been horrible, but Karkat and Nepeta needed him, he couldn't disengage right now. He didn't manage to grab anything until he'd called down about a quarter of the hallway, and then he only managed that with some psionic help. Well, the one good thing about the ship pitching was that the highbloods would be having as much trouble as they were. Once he managed to steady himself, he looked up to see how Karkat was doing . . . not amazingly. His grip tightened on his own perch, then he sent his psionics toward Karkat and concentrated to support, then move Nepeta into a better grip in Karkat's arms. "KK, we have two get two the end of thii2 hallway!"

Karkat nodded, grateful for the psionic support, and tried to move towards the end of the hall. But the ship just kept _moving_ as though it couldn't decide which way was up or down. He couldn't get any traction, any movement forward. It was at times like these that he wished he could fly like every other person in their fucking group. What a load of bullshit. Nepeta remained motionless throughout the commotion, though: another fact which tugged at Karkat's mind. 

A few klicks away, hidden from sight at the moment, the Marquise's battleship loomed. And it was there that Aradia was steadily making her way, though more slowly than she would have liked on account of her drained energy. As the red-pajama-wearing maid approached, the ship's control center lit up like a gristmas tree, letting its inhabitants know of the approaching girl, the approaching Battleship. Vriska hissed in displeasure when the alarms began sounded. The approaching red figure was all too familiar to her. Why couldn't she have just stayed dead? Would have made life easier for all of them. The crew scrambled over each other, babbling and yelling incoherently, the noise crescendo-ing into a roar until the Marquise's patience grew too thin. "Quiet." And though the order was only delivered in her normal tone, it pierced the chaos, allowing silence to fall but for the beeping of the console. The pirate rose from the captain's chair. "The 8attleship condescension approaches. All crew to their stations. Prepare for 8attle." Curse her soft heart. She should have culled the rebellious pair when she had a chance. It was a pity they were so...intriguing. But that was in the past now. All they could do now was watch the ship come ever closer. "Marquise . . . do we have a chance?" asked Vriska in an undertone. A silence stretched between them. "Possi8ly," responded her Ancestor. The Battleship Condescension, aided by the Helmsman, was the fastest ship in existence. The Marquise had been tempted herself to . . . appropriate Sollux as a new means of travel. But that went against her moral code. She had never owned slaves even on Alternia but for those she nabbed from Dualscar. Regardless, there was no running from the threat, but fighting didn't seem a very strong position either. 

. . . the Helsman was dying. And even if Dualscar found the young Captor, it would take time before he could be integrated into the ship. The Marquise paced anxiously, a move that worried Vriska immensely. Fight or flight? The Condesce and her minions were the only ones standing between the Marquise and freedom, a looming shadow that cast gloom over all of their enterprises. But if they lost . . . Mindfang gritted her teeth. She would die before being cast into slavery like the Exp8triate. It was during these musings that something strange began to occur. The enemy ship, steadily approaching up until this point, began to . . . tilt. End falling over end as the engines spasmed, throwing the ships into a collision course. "Hard to port!" ordered the Marquise. What was going on? Could this be . . . "Hard to port. All weapons fire on the 8attleship Condescension." The Marquise smiled cruelly. Her luck was finally paying off.

Sollux was understandably hesitant to use his psionics, they were quite bright, and since the Helmsman was permanently out of commission they'd just become a _very_ valuable commodity, but some things can't be helped. He took a deep breath, then allowed his psionics to envelop him, and finally floated away from the wall. He 'flew' past past Karkat, looking for something specific. He was about to start rifling through boxes, so he could find something to haul Karkat up with, when a better thought crossed his mind. "KK, stand still," he called from the end of the hallway. As soon as he was sure his friend had heard him, Sollux surrounded _him_ with psionics, then brought the three of them into the adjoining hallway, which, thanks to the current angle of the ship, allowed them to sit on what would usually be the wall. He dropped everyone and looked around nervously. It was as he was scanning the new hallway that the entire ship shook, and different shakes than the unstable engines caused. A second later it happened again. It could have been an impact, as if they had hit something- or something had hit _them_. He couldn't decide if that was a good or a bad thing at this point.

Karkat winced as Sollux's powers enveloped him, making his hair stand on end and his skin crawl, but it was over soon enough. Still, Karkat couldn't help but feel violated somehow, much like when Vriska invaded his mind and took control. Psychic powers were a nice thought, but unsettling in practice. From down the hallway came a very familiar voice, roaring incoherently over the sound of the gyrating ship. Evidently, Dualscar had found the Psiioniic. Karkat, of course, was still in the dark on this little plot detail, though, and merely put the incident down to the ornery nature of Ancestors. Well, _most_ of the Ancestors. "SHIT. IT LOOKS LIKE DUALSCAR IS FINALLY MOVING AGAIN." Just what they needed: an overactive merman hunting them while the world literally turned upside down. "FUCK. THE ESCAPE PODS. HOW THE FUCK ARE WE SUPPOSED TO FLY THEM OUT OF HERE WITH ALL OF HELL BREAKING LOOSE?" Would the damaged ship be able to jettison them? Would they even be functioning by the time the trio got there? Too many "what ifs" hinged on this crucial part of their plan. A weird rumbling hit the ship again, as though an earthquake rocked the metal flooring, the ceiling, the walls with its shaking grip. It sounded almost like...."IS THAT GUNFIRE?"

Sollux's eyes widened when he heard the Orphaner roaring, though he didn't manage to react properly until Karkat had practically announced their location over the loudspeaker. By the time Sollux clamped his hand over his friend's mouth, attempting to go undetected was a lost cause. If they could hear the Oprhaner, chances were, he could hear them too. As he waited in tense silence though, Sollux did have a little time to think. His Ancestor was dead, and if that roar was any indication, the Oprhaner knew. That meant his first priority (well, if Sollux was in his shoes it would be _his_ first priority) would be hunting down the other psionic on the ship and getting the engines running again. Or maybe just assign some lackey to that job, considering it was possible that Karkat was right, and they were all in an active battlezone. The escape pods had their problems too. Especially if they were being fired on. Sollux was good with steering, but not that good. Still, chancing it in space, at least in his mind, was a far better option than staying on this ship any longer than they had to. He'd have liked to have communicated all this with Karkat, but with Dualscar so close, he was afraid to speak.

Karkat nearly bit his tongue off in rage when he understood his mistake, as Sollux's hand silenced him mid-speech. Fucking hell, why did he have to _talk_? Worse, why did he have to talk in such a LOUD FUCKING MANNER? Oh, good, there was the trembling again. Karkat hadn't noticed before the deathly quiet of the hallway, but for some rattling emanating from the outside and some far-off screams. Maybe Dualscar was just going on his bi-sweeply killing spree . . . on the other side of the ship. 

But, as fate would have it, Dualscar was not that dense. Though before him rested the bloody corpse of the Helmsman: battery, engine, and navigator all in one: wearing a smile that never crossed his face in life, his ears pricked at the new voice, full of misplaced rage and volume. It was a new voice . . . an enemy voice. Dualscar equipped his weapon and stormed down the hall. Perhaps they were responsible for . . . Dualscar choked down his anger . . . for the death of the Helmsman. Perhaps not. Unfortunately, the Orphaner so deemed that they would be held responsible for this act. For the Orphaner was as good as dead without that mustard lowblood: the only replacement for their lost chess piece. Her Imperious Condescension had been more than clear that Dualscar's life would be forfeit should he fail on this mission. He slowed his footsteps, remaining as silent as a shadow as he stalked toward the interlopers.

Sollux looked around and tried to still his breathing. No one was coming, he couldn't hear any sounds, it sounded like they were safe. He took his hand away from Karkat's mouth and whispered, "it2s alriight, ii thiink were okay." He looked around again. "we 2hould get moviing." He slowly stood up, careful in case the ship shook again, and glanced down both ends of the hall once more. Well, they were safe for now, but who knew how long that would last?

Karkat nodded at his friend, careful to keep his lips sealed this time. The ship shifted under them again, but it was gentler than before, as though an equilibrium had been reached. No more explosions, no more screaming. A deathly silence reigned over all, chilling Karkat to the bone. He hoisted Nepeta into his arms, biting back a curse when he remembered his leg. Fuck. Vriska's psycho-babble had blunted the pain, but he was still injured. How the fuck had he not noticed before? Still . . . Sollux couldn't know, had too much on his plate as it was. Karkat gritted his teeth and bore the pain, blissfully unaware that his red blood had broken the binding on the cast and begun running faintly down his leg, dying his clothes. As though he needed an extra beacon for his mutant blood. 

To the watching Dualscar, however, the sight of that candy-red-blooded troll with the unconscious form of Nepeta clinched every doubt in his mind into place. The Sufferer never could resist his matesprit either. And behind them stood his prey: the only one to have escaped Dualscar in living memory. The Orphaner aimed his crosshairs on the intertwined forms of Nepeta and Karkat, careful to keep clear of Sollux. His blood, though foul, was too precious to their cause to be wasted. But before Dualscar could pull the trigger, a blunt object slammed against the side of his head. He crumpled to the ground with a crash, grape blood flowing from the wound. Gamzee examined his clubkind thoughtfully. Who knew that the Ancestor's thick carapace was enough to dent his clown clubs? "MoThErFuCkEr, I KnOw yOu wErEn't tHiNkInG Of bAsHiNg uP My mOtHeRfUcKiNg eX-MoIrAiL. only one bro has the right to that shitty honor." His bloodshot eyes drifted down the hall. "AND THAT'S MOTHERFUCKIN' ME."


	9. Chapter 9

Sollux was looking at exactly the _wrong_ end of the hallway when the seadweller arrived, silent as ever. He glanced back to Karkat when he judged it safe, and watched with concern, although no comment, when his friend tried to get up. He didn't realize what danger they were in until he heard a blunt smack, followed by what sounded like someone crumpling to the floor. He whirled to see Gamzee standing next to a fallen Orphaner. Holy fucking shit. He growled and took a small step forward, so he was between psycho-clown and his friends, already sparking.

"KK get the fuck back," he said as he stepped forward. The he added, just in case, "you have an iinjured troll two take care of" He doubted Karkat would try and preserve his own life, but thinking about Nepeta might rouse him into action. With everything he could do regarding Karkat done, he focused his full attention of Gamzee. He growled again and raised his sparking hands, ready to fight if need be.

"and that'2 motherfuckiing no one," he said, glaring at Gamzee.

Karkat bristled as Sollux's words, wanting to rush forward, to try and shoosh pap that asshole into submission or at least serve as a barrier so that his friends could escape. But Nepeta's unconscious form weighed down on him. He was battered himself. What could he do? Karkat cursed under his breath and moved behind Sollux, glaring daggers at his once best friend.

Usually the Battleship Condescension was drab as fuck, in Gamzee's opinion. He only ever got to exercise his Subjuggalating skills when a new batch of prisoners arrived, and, even then, Dualscar stole his glory much of the time. Today had been so fucking exciting, however: a nice change. Eridan and Kanaya were added to his corpse collection, the Ancestors were bickering like wigglers, and now he got to cull these sorry-ass motherfuckers, two of whom were already injured. He raised his club lovingly. Gamzee had only alchemized it yesterday, but already it was lathered in blood. The surly purple of Dualscar, not to mention the rich teal of his ex-kismesis. It was a good day. "YOU MOTHERFUCKERS ARE EVEN DULLER THAN I THOUGHT. coming back for a half-dead peasantblood. fucking pathetic. HONK.”

Dualscar muttered something unintelligible which warranted a kick from the clown. "SHUT YOUR BITCH MOUTH. i'll deal with you in a minute."

Goddamnit, why does everyone he care about have to be a self-sacrificial asshole? If Karkat had any sense, he'd run toward the escape pods as fast as he fucking could, and maybe cross his phalanges and hope that Sollux was actually strong enough to take down Gamzee, but no, he just grudgingly scooted back a little bit, as expected. Fuck. No one else may have cared about Terezi, but Sollux felt a dull rage rising through his blanket of terror when he saw the teal slathered over Gamzee's clubs. Without any further ado, he threw a powerful psionic blast straight at Gamzee. He had his psionics back, and goddamnit, he was going to use them. Time to stop being useless and save his friends for a change.

Gamzee sidestepped the blast and watched as the red-blue lights bolted past him, disintegrating the wall behind. He would have to be more careful now that the mustardblood had gotten his juice back. 

"the lowblood thinks he can touch me now that his SHITTY POWERS ARE BACK. motherfucker . . .”More explosions like that would send others running towards them, no matter the chaotic nature of the ship. Gamzee would have to make this fast if he wanted all of the murders for himself. 

He reached behind him and chucked two clubs at his foes, one right after the other, with all of his strength and rushed down the hall toward his prey, eyes glinting madly with murderous bliss.

Sollux internally winced at how loud that was, but there wasn't much he could do about it, Gamzee was the foremost threat right now. He wasn't expecting the clown to throw the clubs, so his reaction was a little slower than it could have been, but he raised one hand to stop the first cub in midair, then directed a blast of energy at the other to throw it off is course. Focused on the clubs though, Sollux didn't have time to react to the troll himself running straight at them, except to back up a little.

Too easy. Gamzee swung his clubkind, knocking the legs out from under Sollux, before slamming his weapon against Karkat's skull. 

The latter gasped and crumpled to the ground under the combined weight of Nepeta and his own broken body. He struggled to get up as the clown stood over him. Above them both, the juggalo club was raised high, ready to deliver the final blow. The buzzing in Karkat's ears was enormous, and he couldn't quite get his eyes to focus. 

"GAMZEE . . . PLEASE . . . . . ." Sight flickered in and out. Was it always this dark in the hall? Karkat couldn't quite remember. Sleep called him like a warm embrace, beckoning him into its drowsy folds. He was so damn tired. Always running and fighting . . .

Gamzee shook his head and covered his face with one bloody hand. What was he doing? He couldn't kill Karkat . . . . no, he had to. Fucking lowbloods. Worse, a _mutant_ blood. But . . . this was his moirail . . . EX-moirail . . . Had to kill him, end the genetic rejects . . . but . . . best friends . . . Subjaggalators. Gamzee growled angrily. But he didn't strike.

Before Sollux could react, Gamzee was right in front of him, the crazily grinning face inches from his own. Not a moment later he heard a crack and his legs gave out from under him. Then another crack, and, even as he was getting to his knees, Karkat's faint voice. Raising his head to see Gamzee in the position to deliver the killing blow, a faint protest slipped past his lips, "KK..." Then Gamzee hesitated. Sollux didn't wait to find out why, or if this meant he was turning over a new leaf or what, he just aimed and fired a psionic blast at the indigo blood.

Gamzee turned toward Sollux at the last second, but too late. The psychic blast slammed against him, knocking him down the hallway, through the wall even, until finally he landed hard on his side. The subjuggalator let out a stream of curses as he struggled to stand, fighting the debris piled on top of him. A cough, a splash of deep purple blood. He smiled grimly, his sharp teeth dyed by the blood of his caste. It had been a while since he had had this much fun. 

Karkat watched the proceedings with a bit of disconnect. Why was Gamzee flying? Karkat didn't _think_ Gamzee could fly . . . he wondered vaguely what it was like, before letting his head fall to the cool floor. Time for thinking later. Fucking hell, his head hurt. And his leg. So fucking tired . . .

Sollux forced himself to stand up, convinced that a single blast couldn't take the indigo blood down. He didn't pause to think about the fact that he was pretty much trying to kill one of his former friends, Karkat's ex-moirail. No, the only thoughts going through his pan were 'fight' and 'protect'. He stood up, ignoring what had to be an injured leg, and limped toward where the clown had fallen, hands sparking again. "leave u2 alone and ii wont harm you," he said, not that he expected the peace offering to do much.

Gamzee grinned as Sollux approached, cackling madly with interspersed honks of varying intensity. Kill the clown? What a fucking joke. Gamzee staggered to his feet, the front of his body coated in his purple blood, trickling down his chest in a gory mess. It sprang through the hole in his chest wherein some errant piping must have skewered him during his flight. Gamzee pawed at it thoughtfully before grasping with a bloody hand and removing the blockage in one clean motion, releasing a spurt of blood. Kill him? Nobody could do that. Not the Ancestors, not his so-called friends, not even Gamzee himself, should he ever wish to. He was a fixed point, able to endure pain and agony, but doomed never to die.

"what a fucking JOKE. you know nothing, lowblood. MOTHERFUCKING NOTHING!" His eyes drifted down the hall toward the others. Karkat wasn't moving. This fact sent a twinge through Gamzee's impaled chest, though he didn't quite know why he cared. They weren't friends anymore. Never really had been. So why was he so worried? Gamzee growled and gripped his head again. No . . . that was wrong. They had to die, they must. Fucking lowbloods . . . but . . . . no . . . . . . _YES_ . . . Gamzee stooped over, gripping his head with both hands, and spouted an unearthly scream. All these motherfucking voices telling him what to do. What should he do? WHAT SHOULD HE DO?

Sollux hissed and sparked more intensely as Gamzee started to stand up, though he was caught off guard by the amount of gore, by what was basically a hole in Gamzee's chest. Sollux hadn't been awake when everything went down on the meteor and he never _saw_ the aftermath. He smelled the blood of course, but not with the precision Terezi could. This was the first time he'd seen a troll with something literally going through their chest. He stared. 

He didn't stumble back until Gamzee grabbed the pipe and pulled it out, releasing a spurt of purple blood in the process. "dont provoke me!" Any attempted bravery fell away when Gamzee began screaming though. Sollux recognized the posture well, that was a headache, voices often, but he'd never been in Gamzee's head, he didn't know what they were saying. Somehow he doubted it was the voices of the soon-to-be deceased. "2-2tay back!" He sent a weak jolt at Gamzee's foot, to show he'd follow through on his threat, he supposed. Or maybe just to stop that godawful screaming.

The psychic attack knocked Gamzee down, nearly frying the shoe off his foot. He was in no position to stand on his own, had barely enough focus to remember to breathe. What with all these MOTHERFUCKING VOICES. The scream transformed into a deafening roar in the span of a second as the subjugglator fought for control over his own shattered psyche. The shout of defiance slowly turned to a growl, to a low purr, until the only sound in the hallway was his and Sollux's labored breathing. After a short time, Gamzee got up slowly, softly trembling, barely able to keep his balance. He looked toward his attacker with a slightly confused look on his face. "SoLlUx?" 

The screaming echoed down the hall, resounding off of every surface until it seemed that the ship would be torn apart by the sheer force of Gamzee's cry. Karkat started once the shriek reached his ears, startling him into consciousness. He rubbed his head and gingerly sat up. Down the hall, Sollux was facing off against Gamzee, didn't seem to be injured, thank goodness. But Gamzee . . . Karkat struggled to get up, his head pounding from the blow. A hand reached toward him, helping him rise to his feet, if a bit roughly. It seemed that Nepeta was finally stirring, drawn to reality by Gamzee's screams just as he had been. But when he turned to thank his olive-blood friend, he spotted her still lying on the floor, a vacant look on her face, and, in front of him, with a vice-like grip on his arm . . . stood a bloody Dualscar.

It would have made more sense, and definitely would have been a lot easier, if Gamzee had just roared or done something threatening in response. Then Sollux could just blast him and be done with it. Keep hitting him until he either passed out or died and then he could turn around, get his friends, then get off this terrible ship. This though... "...GZ? GZ are you in there?" He waved a sparking hand in front of the indigoblood's face. This was Karkat's territory. What the fuck was he supposed to do? Actually, he should probably check up on his friend, see if he'd regained consciousness yet. He lowered his hands in a placating gesture, then, after taking a couple steps back, slowly turned his back toward Gamzee- and froze when he saw the seadweller. 

"...."

Karkat tried to wrench himself from the Ancestor's grip, but Dualscar would not have that. He threw Karkat violently to the ground, knocking the breath from the poor rebel. Karkat coughed cherry red blood and tried to take in a rattling breath, still struggling to stand, to _fight._ Sollux had to know, had to run before it was too late. 

Dualscar's steel-toed boot came down heavily on his chest, shattering ribs, tearing the hard-won air from his lungs. Karkat gasped pitifully, vision flashing red, black, and white. Good god, did it hurt: the burning, piercing pain, like his lower body was breaking into a thousand pieces, seared by the intense blow. He barely registering the tip of Ahab's Crosshairs against his blood-smeared brow. 

Dualscar glowered at the broken figure, aching to pull the trigger, to end all of the miserable rebels with his bare hands. He looked down the corridor toward his true target. The little Captor had somehow appeased the juggalo and now stared at the Ancestor, horror-struck. But it failed to draw a grin, even a cruel one, to the highblood's lips. "NO MORE GAMES," he growled. The Orphaner added pressure to Karkat's chest, digging into the mutant's body. Karkat bit his lip to keep back cries of pain, but the screams came despite his efforts. He turned his head toward Sollux, one message in his pain-blurred eyes: _run._

Sollux couldn't move, couldn't speak, couldn't do anything but stare, horrified, as the Orphaner threw Karkat to the ground, then stomped on his his chest. It was that little gasp, and the cries of pain that followed, that finally wrenched Sollux out of his paralyzed horror. "g-" Even as he unfroze, it took a second for his voice to begin working again. "get away from hiim!" he managed after a second, sparking again. "turn and face me liike a real fuckiing troll, he cant even fuckiing 2tand! f-fiight liike a f-fuckiing man!" He was shaking, but he wasn't sure if it was from fear or anger. Both maybe. Either way, his system was flooded with adrenaline, and the multicolored lights arcing off his body certainly reflected that.

Dualscar watched the light display with stone cold malice. "A REAL MAN DOES NOT RELY ON OTHERS TO FIGHT HIS BATTLES, WWILL ACCEPT DEFEAT WWHEN IT IS HANDED TO HIM." He glared daggers at this troll who had the audacity to lecture him on honor when a few meager hours earlier he had allowed two friends to take his place on the culling block. And now a third would join their ranks. "ENOUGH OF THIS. IF YOU ARE NOT FULLY COMPLIANT VWITH ME, I WVILL SNAP VWANTAS' SPINE IN TWVO." He added more weight as he spoke, filling the hall once more with Karkat's pained cries. "YOUR PSIONICS ARE NOT FASTER THAN MY STRENGTH, I PROMISE YOU." 

Sollux's Ancestor certainly had that the power, but this half-grown lowblood couldn't even end Makara in a single strike. What power then did he have over an ancestor? Dualscar pushed the tip of Ahab's Crosshairs into Karkat's forehead, drawing more mutant blood. Sickening. 

Nepeta awoke to the sound of screaming, of cries of anguish and pain. It seemed familiar somehow . . . like a half-forgotten dream. The screams in the night, piercing pain in her ears. Nepeta tried to move, but her body seemed to defy her. Shock crept over her as she struggled unsuccessfully to move her pained form. She couldn't be paralyzed . . . right? A crash, another set of pained cries. In the corner of her eyes, the rogue could just make out Karkat's crippled form and the hulking menace of her tormentor. She shuddered internally. She had to move. Sollux . . . Sollux was supposed to be here. Her fingers twitched, her toes, too. Progress. More shouting , a familiar voice, more screaming. Good goD, what was happening? A tingling sensation flowed over her body, releasing her arms, her legs. Too slow, too slow. Her eyes flicked toward the commotion, toward her enemies. Maybe they hadn't realized she was awake. More shouting. Nepeta slowly, carefully, slunk away, utilizing years of stalking prowess. She was invisible, silent as a shadow. Help . . . she had to get help. She couldn't fight, would be a burden to those in strife. Nepeta stumbled down the empty hall. Surely, _someone_ would help them.

Sollux growled. He didn't _want_ any of them to sacrifice themselves, didn't ask for anyone to die for him. If he'd had his choice . . . he wasn't sure what he would have done. He was terrified of the Helm, it's true, but he didn't value his own life over everyone else's, right? Over Kanaya's and Terezi's and- well, he couldn't care less what happened to Eridan, but the rest of them . . . He was paradoxically saved from having to think about all this by Dualscar himself though. 'If you are not fully compliant.'

He knew what that meant. Stand still and let himself be escorted to the Helm. The Helm in return for Karkat's life . . . assuming Dualscar _did_ spare Karkat, and, really, why would he? The smartest, the _logical_ answer would be to run, or try and kill Dualscar now, even if that meant Karkat's ribs would be crushed and his friend would most likely die. That would be the way to preserve his own life. KK for Sollux. He couldn't do that. He wouldn't be able to live with himself. 

"2wear-" he gulped, then tried again. "2wear that iif ii do what you 2ay, youll let hiim leave. no further harm" He lifted his chin a bit. "or ii 2wear ii wiill kiill you both." Well, Karkat would be collateral, and honestly, he wasn't sure he could follow through on that threat, but he tried to make it look as sincere as possible.

Karkat gritted his teeth at Sollux's words. _NO._ He was going to die anyway, a mouse caught in the trap, too injured to escape. But . . . Sollux still had his psionics. He was relatively uninjured. For fuck's sake, why wouldn't he just run? So many people sacrificed so much to keep him safe . . . and now it was all for nothing. Karkat tried to choke words through the blood in his mouth, but just couldn't. Dualscar pressed down slightly when he sensed the attempted movement, making his intentions clear. If Karkat spoke, more ribs would break. All he could do was lock eyes with his friend and silently plead. He couldn't live with himself if Sollux became that creature in the Helm. He wouldn't. 

Dualscar stared down the lowblood, weighing his options. It was unlikely the Orphaner would lose this fight, especially with two captives at his beck and call. And Sollux didn't seem like one to abandon, to cull, those whom he cared for . . . Dualscar could call his bluff. However, Dualscar didn't want Sollux draining his psionics to the point of no return by fighting. If he overexerted himself in a fruitless attempt at freedom, it would all be for nothing. The Marquise's ship waited nearby, no doubt plotting tricks and plots to ensnare the Highblood cruiser. Time was of the essence. "YOU HAVWE MY WVORD THAT, IF YOU FOLLOW MY INSTRUCTIONS OBEDIENTLY, THE SUFFERER'S DESCENDANT," he nudged Karkat's body," VWILL LEAVVE HERE. WVITH NO FURTHER HARM." 

Nepeta struggled down the hallway, taking turns at random, following some hunter's instinct. It must have worked because she met no one in the halls, though she did hear them scuttling nearby, shouting and yelling and causing even more chaos. The ship started rumbling again. Tears leaked down Nepeta's face as she moved, wiped away now and again by her tattered sleeve. What was she even doing? No one would help her, no one _could_ help her. She'd just be captured again, put back into that awful room, watch her friends die. A sob blossomed from her throat as these dark thoughts took hold, forcing her to stop. She wept for a moment. It all seemed so hopeless. She sniffed, dried her tears on her sleeve. She was a huntress. A huntress shouldn't cry or show weakness while her friends were fighting, dying maybe. Nepeta turned, ready to continue her ill-begotten journey, but was met with an immutable barrier. She stepped back hurriedly. How had she not noticed him creeping up on her? An Ancestor of huge proportion stood before her, his horns nearly touching the ceiling. She just stood there, gazing up at him with sad eyes. She couldn't fight him, could barely even stand. Was this . . . the end?

Sollux saw the desperation and pain in Karkat's eyes, then looked away. He was trying to _save_ him, goddamnit. He should have done this earlier, if it was always going to end this way, why did he even bother fighting? Why did he let people die for him? He looked at the Orphaner, then slowly nodded. Although the energy around him didn't completely dissipate (it would have been beyond idiotic to trust the Orphaner on his word alone) it did dim considerably. "alriight...iill do what you 2ay." He took a deep breath, trying to collect himself. "no further harm"

Gamzee really didn't know what was going on anymore . . . everyone was screaming, crying, bleeding. How had he gotten here? What . . . Gamzee looked down at his ripped clothes, gingerly running his hands over the deep gashes in his skin. Fuck. How had _that_ happened? His indigo blood poured freely over his chest, but he didn't quite feel the pain. Sollux stood nearby, his whole body sparking with red and blue lights. The sight was somewhat intoxicating, drawing the eye in strange ways. But Gamzee resisted the urge the space out and looked down the hall only to see . . . Karkat. Gamzee was on his feet in an instant, flitting to Sollux's side, barely able to contain his growls. He didn't know what was going on . . . but Karkat was his best friend. Off-limits. 

Dualscar saw the swift motion and assumed that the clown had regained his composure, had come to assist in the capture. The Orphaner removed his foot from Karkat's chest and gestured for Gamzee to take the broken form of his ex-moirail, though Dualscar's weapon never strayed from its mark directly in the center of Karkat's forehead. Gamzee approached, fighting back the bile, the violent urges that he could feel just out of reach, gnawing at his momentary sanity. He couldn't keep them off forever, but if he could save Karkat first . . . maybe that would be okay. Gamzee picked his friend up easily, as a lusus would a wiggler. Karkat's pain-clouded eyes regarded him curiously, noting the lucidity of the returning gaze. Gamzee was himself . . . not the murderous sober dick that everyone knew. _Himself_ , the kind-hearted troll that best showed when he was stoned. 

Dualscar, ever oblivious to the finer tunings of troll friendship pushed past Gamzee and trained his weapon on Sollux. "VWALK."

Aradia stood before the Serkets proudly, despite her fatigue. They were watching her, looking for weakness, for exploitable faults in her control. Twins they were, both sporting the pirate's wear: the black and blue cloak, the red boots, the wicked sword of nightshade. Indistinguishable but for the years about the eyes. Vriska was young, hot-tempered even as she tried to maintain her composure. She was not a leader of armies nor a pillar of fortitude. Not yet, anyways. The Marquise, however, was enough to send chills down even Aradia's spine. There was something . . . unsettling about her. As though even when she smiled she was still plotting your demise. A figure that lived up to her legend. But Aradia could not afford to be intimidated. If she failed, they would all die. The red-robed troll squared her shoulders and addressed the Marquise once more. "now is the time. you will never find the Condesce in a more compromising position than she is in now. the Helmsman . . . " She caught herself. Oh, Sollux. "you know that the Helmsman is dead. that's why you fired on the ship-" 

Vriska cut her hand through the air, silencing Aradia. "We attacked to cripple the engines. Now, even if they get fly 8oy all hooked up, it will take time to repair their ship. That will give us time to escape. We don't have any interest in your war." She drummed a hurried beat on her leg. If only victory was assured, if only the cards fell right. Vriska would have loved to take out that sea bitch in one fell swoop, but it wasn't feasible at this point. Escape was safest. 

The Marquise held up a hand, signaling for Vriska to stop the annoying tapping. "You are correct. If our 8jective was to remoe the Empress from power, now would be the proper time. The only time.” The Marquise paused. Time. That was something none of them had. 

Aradia's stare bored into her. "you can feel it, can't you? my aspect catching up to you. the Ancestors were never meant to intersect with this timeline, not even the Condesce." Aradia closed her eyes. Even now, she could feel it, the swift beating of time around them, through them, with them. But for the Ancestors, it was running short, bearing down on them with the speed of wind. "all time loops must close, even yours. and today is the day. the last day. The Marquise, the E%ecutioner, the Orphaner, the Condesce. all these must fall." They had died once upon a time. Aradia wasn't sure why they were here, what malevolent purpose had allowed them back to this plane . . . but it was not their world. Not anymore. The voices whispered of other timelines where the dead were allowed to play at their leisure. Chaos followed as the universes tried to purge the blight on their planes. If they were not dealt with here and now, it would be the end of their session of sorts. 

Vriska looked through the corners of her eyes at her Ancestor. What were they talking about? Surely they couldn't all die . . . that was impossible, right? The Marquise stared coldly down at their bold visitor. How she yearned to slit her throat and end the vile prophecies streaming from the other's lips. But the Maid of Time was quite right. "I admire your 8oldness, child. To think that one such as I would 8e ordered a8out 8y the Handmaid’s descendant." The Marquise didn't know whether to be honored or disgusted. Vriska could only gape at her. "We're actually following her advice?"

The Marquise sighed and stood, towering over her descendant. She patted her head affectionately. She tired, the Marquise. Maybe it was time to rest. A grim smile touched her lips. But if she was to die, it would be in blood and battle with the corpses of her enemies scattered about.


	10. Chapter 10

Sollux stiffened when he heard a familiar growling behind him, afraid Gamzee had snapped back to his normal (insane?) self and was about to kill them all. Or maybe just . . . actually, he didn't know which of them the capricorn would be most interested in killing. Really, as long as it happened after Karkat was gone, was safe, if there was any place left that adjective could aptly describe, he wouldn't mind if Gamzee whacked one of those stained clubs right into his head, leaving piss yellow to mix with royal purple and traitorous teal. Sollux'd gratefully sink to his knees with a final exhale at that point. After all, it would mean he'd never get installed into the Helm. Death, even a painful one, was a far better option. As soon as Karkat got the fuck out of here. 

When Gamzee picked him up, Sollux almost protested, but the Orphaner promised Karkat wouldn't be hurt and . . . there was something about the way the other troll was moving... maybe the bonds of the pale quadrant were stronger than he understood. Maybe the indigo and mutant had forged a strong enough connection to save Karkat's life . . . or maybe Gamzee just wanted to play with and torture him in private. Sollux clung to the feeble hope that Gamzee _wouldn't_ go all murderous clown on them as long as Karkat was in his arms, and remembered that none of that mattered in the least if he ignored the seadweller's commands. He looked up to see Ahab's Crosshairs pointed at him, then he lifted one foot, followed by the other, and made himself follow the Orphaner's direction. Walking to his own- to worse than his own culling block. To his fate, maybe, as the Ancestors had prescribed.

Carting around Karkat in his arms soothed Gamzee's fraying sanity slightly, made it easier to resist the violent urges. Indigo blood dyed his friends clothes as they walked, mingling with the mutant red that already adorned the fabric. Would make a fucking beautiful mural . . . Gamzee bit his tongue. No. Karkat's blood wasn't for painting. The Subjuggalor inside him laughed madly, surging with rage, drawing off of Gamzee's darker side. It wouldn't be long . . . Gamzee shook his head. Resist, defy, focus. The ghost of his Ancestor haunted him. That's right . . . Gamzee had killed him. How could he have forgotten? Felt like it happened such a long fucking time ago. Spilling his Ancestor's blood, his own blood before her Imperious Condescension. There were blocks in Gamzee's mind, repressed memories that his sane self just wasn't ready to face just yet. What had he done? 

Dualscar did not let down his guard throughout their journey. That was what had cost him the victory last time. That and a meddling midblood, but Dualscar did not make it a habit to repeat his mistakes. He ordered Sollux's steps methodically, watching for any false step, any misguided gesture that could be seen as disobedient. He was just itching to murder the little runt swinging from the arms of the subjugglator. The pair walked beside him quietly until Dualscar waved them off into another corridor, towards the escape pods. He would honor his side of the agreement, provided Sollux kept his. If Dualscar had been paying attention, perhaps he may have noticed Gamzee's calm demeanor, the lack of bloodthirstiness in his movements. The disappearance of the little Leijon had not escaped him, however, but she was of little concern. Injured, frightened, and weaponless, she was not threat to anyone. The Orphaner would deal with her later. 

Before long, Sollux and his ancient guide entered the Helmsblock, an arrival Dualscar considered long overdue. The body of the dead Psiioniic had been removed in his absence, probably by Darkleer. The infamous blueblood stood nearby and watched the procession enter with a blank look on his face. "IS IT READY?" thundered Dualscar. His fellow Ancestor nodded in affirmation. The Orphaner smiled cruelly and turned to Sollux. "THEN VWE CAN BEGIN THE INTEGRATION."

Sollux tried to keep an eye on Gamzee - he really didn't know what was going on with that troll right now - but as much as he cared about Karkat and his well being, Sollux also had _huge_ issues he had to deal with. Being marched to your worse-than-death tended to command all of your attention. Sollux just needed to concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other. His steps actually faltered as they approached the escape pods, just because he was _so_ close to the possibility of escape, but after an initial stumble, he forced himself to continue. 

When the door to Helmsblock opened though, Sollux found himself paralyzed, completely unable to move. He wasn't sure which was worse, seeing an occupied Helm or an empty one. They hit him in different ways, he supposed. When his Ancestor was up there, it was terrifyingly clear what his fate _could_ be, and his feelings were a mix of empathy, revulsion and fear, but now the Helm seemed just like a gaping hole that practically screamed for an occupant. Becoming a Helmsman was no longer in Sollux's future, it was happening _right now_. Sollux wasn't sure when exactly he'd started shaking, but, regardless of when it started, he was trembling pretty badly now.

His thoughts were torn away from the Helm as Dualscar seemed to scream his question (Sollux wouldn't have be surprised if the ship actually shook with the weight of it) and he looked toward its recipient. Darkleer. The one who had helped them earlier. He shot the troll a terrified glance, a silent plea for help, then looked back at the Orphaner as he turned toward him. Oh god it was starting. This was going to happen and there wasn't a single fucking thing he could do about it. He instinctively backed up at those words, sparking agitatedly. He backed up until his back hit the closed doors. He had nowhere to run or hide.

Dualscar glowered down at the sparking psionic, his amused expression curdling at the other’s defiance. To think that a lowblood would be offered such an auspicious position and have the audacity to defy it. As though his peasant blood could be put to any better use than the navigation of the Empress’ ship. “I THOUGHT WVE HAD AN ARRANGEMENT. OR HAWVE YOU FORGOTTEN SO QUICKLY THE FATE OF YOUR ‘FRIEND?’” The seadweller lumbered toward Sollux, wary of his psionics, but determined to finish the job. He could feel Darkleer moving behind him, presumably blocking off any escape for the mustard blood.

Sollux was, if possible, even more terrified when he saw the change in Dualscar's expression, and the stronger emotion did nothing to help him keep the sparking under control. He wasn't trying to defy the seadweller, and while it was true that he hadn't thought of Karkat since seeing the Helm, he was still aware of and trying to honor the agreement. He just couldn't keep the sparking under control. The psionics rolled off him, an instinctual response rather than a conscious one. Still, Sollux tried to reign them in, causing the lights around him to sputter and flicker as he fought against terror in the hope of saving his friend. He began protesting, trying to explain and assure his compliance all at the same time even before the Orphaner had finished his threats.

“I WILL TEAR YOUR FRIEND APART IF THIS POINTLESS RESISTANCE CONTINUES-”

"p-plea2e, iim 2orry, ii diidnt-”

“THE SUFFERER’S DEATH WILL SEEM NIRVWANA WHEN COMPARED TO WHAT I HAVE IN STORE FOR VWANTAS-”

“you cant- he…dontdontdont-”

"AND I VWIL MAKE YOU WVATCH-”

“iim 2-2orry iim-iim 2orry,” and more words like them tumbled out of Sollux’s mouth as tears left thin yellow tracks over his cheeks. He was already fucked, he couldn't let his fear condemn Karkat too . . . 

The Orphaner stopped a few feet away from his prey, watching the red and blue energy roll of the latter in waves. Even if the little psionic fought them, there was no escape, no path that didn’t lead to him hanging from the Helm. “I VWILL-” but we will never learn what Dualscar willed himself to do. For his words were put to a stop by the pair of strong hands that arrested him from behind, pinning his arms behind his back, forcing him to his knees.

Dualscar bellowed in agony as the E%ecutioner’s foot came down, snapping his leg in two. But his suffering would not last long. Just as he began to throw off his attacker, a green shadow pounced, blades flickering , and cut her long claws into Dualscar’s chest, carving out his organs, his skin, his blood. Royal purple poured down his front as he stared uncomprehendingly at Nepeta, facing death for the first time in over a century. 

The olive-blooded troll hissed and crouched, ready to deliver another blow, though she was already breathing heavily, still suffering from her previous injuries. But her anxiety was unwarranted. Down Dualscar fell, released from the hold of Darkleer, crashing to the ground in a bloody heap.

Sollux had looked down at one point, trying to become as small and unthreatening as possible, so he missed when Darkleer grabbed Dualscar, although he did look up as the threat was abruptly cut off. Sollux watched in astonishment as Darkleer broke his leg, then something that he was only later able to identify as Nepeta, attacked the fallen seadweller. He continued to stare at the body even as it leaked royal blood onto the floor. He didn't move until it had laid there for at least have a minute, then quietly asked, more to get the question out there than to anyone in specific, “iis h-he dead?"

Darkleer shrugged and kicked the body lightly, which of course sent it spiraling across the floor, bumping into the empty Helm. 

No movement. 

Nepeta sighed in relief as trembling overtook her body again. She sunk to her knees. How she had managed the attack, she would never know, but the action left her drained of energy and spirit. ":33 > y-yeah.....he's dead." Oh god, were those words good to say. A giggle bubbled up from Nepeta's chest, totally out of place in this scenario. Her hands were coated in violet blood, and Sollux looked like he was about to collapse. But the Orphaner was dead. They were free.

Not far away, lingering about the escape pods, Gamzee paced back and forth, clutching his head in his hands and mumbling madly to himself. Karkat leaned against the wall a few paces away, where Gamzee had placed him, watching his former friend with wide eyes. " MOTHERFUCKER, CULL HIM.......sToP It.......THERE'S NO ONE AROUND. FUCKING _DO_ IT.....yOu cAn't.......MUTANT BLOOD.....ShUt tHe _fUcK_ Up, He's mY MoIrAiL....HE FUCKING LEFT YOU WITH THOSE BASTARDS......bUt.....IF HE WAS YOUR FRIEND HE WOULD'VE HELPED A MOTHERFUCKER DO. HONK. KILL HIM!" Gamzee shook his head back and forth, as though he could dislodge the chorus pounding within him. He felt it the urge kill deep within his bones. He didn't need the voices for that. But . . . memories flashed through his mind back when everything hadn't gone to hell: chatting over pesterlog, getting him to try Faygo for the first time, fighting together. 

Karkat watched the proceedings in silence. There was so much pain in every breath, in every beat of his vascular pump, but somehow he managed to stay conscious. 

"GAMZEE . . " The conflicted troll whirled on him as if registering his presence for the first time. His eyes burned like coals as they surveyed Karkat, causing the latter to shiver despite himself. "GAMZEE, PLEASE.... I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME, ASSHOLE, SO PLEASE.....COME BACK." He had nothing to protect him except their former moirailegiance and that human disease friendship. But . . . Karkat didn't even know if they had _that_ anymore. 

The indigoblood stumbled toward him, his clown club dragging listless behind him across the ground, filling the room with the sound of grating metal. Karkat bit his lip and tried to scoot away, only to bend over gasping in pain. No escape. Karkat looked up. Gamzee stood before him, his gaze hooded in shadow. "GAMZEE....?" The indigo blood collapsed on top of him, wrapping him in an embrace and sobbing slightly. Karkat held back a cry of pain as the heavy weight fell on him, but returned the gesture as best he could.

"KaRbRo..." Gamzee let go of his friend, wiping the purple liquid from his face. He wouldn't do it. He _couldn't_ do it. No, not Karkat. If it were anyone else. The voices had dimmed at the sound of his voice, quieting until Gamzee could barely hear them. He had never understood this, Karkat's ability to calm him like no one else. Perhaps it had something to do with his classpect . . but no one could pull him from the brink of darkness. Not like his best friend. "I'm So MoThErFuCkIn' SoRrY." Good gog, he had been about to...Gamzee shook his head. 

Karkat smiled at him dimly. So . . . he had gotten through. Thank fuck. "GAMZEE, YOU FUCKER, I KNEW YOU WOULDN'T DO IT." Only a partial lie. Karkat reached out a hand, and Gamzee pulled him to his feet. Karkat gritted his teeth and leaned against his friend, grinning through the agony. Everything was okay . . . they could find Sollux and Nepeta and get out of here, meet up with Aradia . . . everything was going to be okay. Then, sparking out of nowhere, a creeping light began covering Karkat, enveloping him from lightly at first, but with growing intensity. He pushed Gamzee away, allowing himself to crash to the ground as the fuchsia light weaved its way around him. But . . . it didn't hurt, not at all. In fact . . . Karkat trembled slightly in trepidation, but managed to pull himself to his feet. Nothing. No pain, no tears, no piercing stabs. He was healed. Gamzee stared at him, wondering if this wasn't one of the "MiRaClEs" ]he had been raised to believe in. Karkat stared back, equally amazed. "WHAT THE- " His words were cut short by a stifling pressure. It assaulted his thinkpan like a huge weight, crushing his will in its iron grasp. The royal light surrounding him burned and writhed, and he screamed, good god, how he screamed, but the presence continued to invade his mind, cloud his thoughts, until everything was it its grasp. Everything. 

The screaming died, replaced by a deathly silence. 

Gamzee stared at Karkat. The pink light had faded considerably,persisting only in a dull glow. The symbol of the Empress shone from his brow for a moment. "BeSt FrIeNd...?" Karkat opened his eyes and glanced at his friend. He grinned as though everything was going to be alright. Gamzee hesitated, still a bit put off by Karkat's backlight, but smiled back. He didn't even see the blow when it came. All that registered was the sensation of being skewered and the overwhelming pain that followed. Gamzee watched the blood spray from the wound and wondered dimly how Karkat's arm came to be thrust through his chest.

The mutant retracted his limb from the body of his ex-moirail, covered up to the elbow in the blood of the subjugglators, watched passively as Gamzee fell to the ground, and then left without saying a word, leaving Gamzee in a pool of his own blood. The voices inside the clown laughed and laughed with misplaced glee. They had warned him. They had motherfucking warned him.

When Nepeta began giggling, Sollux almost did collapse. It would have been nice to just fall to the floor, bury his head in his hands and release his suppressed sobs for a while. He could have the time to mourn lost friends and bask in the relief that accompanied the knowledge that this terrifying flight was over. The Orphaner was dead. Darkleer seemed to be helping them, his ancestor was no longer suffering, Nepeta was alive. He wouldn't go so far as to suggest things were good, but they certainly could have been a whole lot worse. He could be the new Helmsman. Yeah, that would be far worse. The problem was, if he collapsed on the ground, he wasn't sure if he could find the energy to ever get up again, and there were two reasons he wasn't really okay with that. First of all, he was still afraid of the Helm and wanted to be away from it, and Dualscar's corpse, as soon as possible, and secondly, Karkat. His friend was still with Gamzee (and who knew how that was working out) and grievously injured. Both he and Nepeta had to get medical attention, and there were still plenty of trolls and drones on this ship that would love to kill or enslave all of them. That thought made him rub the tears from his eyes and push away from the wall, so he could stand without its help. His trembling was getting less intense. 

"we have two find KK" He turned to look at Darkleer. "thank you 2o much. wiithout-" he paused, unsure exactly how to express the idea they were all perfectly aware of. If the Ancestor hadn't intervened, they would have no reason to be rejoicing right now. He added another quiet, "thank2" instead, hoping the other troll got the message, then he turned toward the door, ready to leave this nightmare behind him.

Nepeta got to her feet and trailed behind Sollux as he bolted from the room, no doubt grateful to be leaving this ill-begotten place . . but even as he left she hesitated, looking back to their unlikely savior. Darkleer looked down at her from the heights, motioning her gently to follow her friend, to save herself. Nepeta bit her lip anxiously. ":33 > come with us, Darkleer. you could be free, you could leave with us and nefur come back and . . ."

Darkleer shook his head sadly. Nepeta stomped her foot, fighting the tears that came to her eyes. Why did he have to be as stubborn as Equius? ":33 > but if you don't come, you'll die! and I don't . . . I can't . . ." No, not another friend dead. When he had found her in that hall, she was so lost and alone, ready for death, expecting it to come at any moment. He had been so kind, so comforting even without saying a word. And now he . . . she scowled. ":33 > why won't you save yourself? why won't you Zahhaks think of us? of me?" She sobbed into the sleeve of her coat, embarrassed at her behavior but unable to stop. It was selfish of her, she knew. Darkleer had given everything to help her and her friends, but did he have to give his life as well? How was Nepeta supposed to shoulder the weight of his corpse? It was all her fault. Darkleer approached, a conflicted look on his face. He reached down a hand, hoping to console her with a touch, but retracted the gesture. He wasn't built for tender embraces. Instead, the E%ecutioner reached into his sack and removed her bright blue hat, the one ripped from her during her capture, and plopped it down on her head. Nepeta started at the change, reaching for her treasured possession, grinning through the tears. Darkleer smiled sadly down at her. Yes. She really was worth all of this. Nepeta replaced the headwear atop her wild mane and looked sadly up at him. He wasn't going to listen to her. They never did. Nepeta wiped the green tears from her face and tackle-pounced the ancestor's leg, hugging him with all her of her meager strength, only reaching about knee high on his great form. ":33 > *sniff* thank your . . . we *sniff* won't forget you, not in a million sweeps." And, with one last look at her blue-blooded friend, Nepeta made to follow Sollux into the maw of the ship.

The great pirate ship unleashed a barrage of gunfire against Battleship Condescension, lighting up the empty space with soundless explosions. After a few moments, the ship began returning fire, using their emergency systems and whatever wary crew members it had left to protect the failing carcass of her Imperious Condescension's malevolent armada. And through this blaze, dodging the fiery bolts, flew two god tier trolls, brightly colored against the darkness, flitting towards the great fuchsia craft. Vriska cursed under her breath as she avoided another round of gunfire, this one from her own side. Why on Beforus did she agree to this insanity? The Marquise must be truly desperate if _this_ was the great plan. The transportalizers needed to be pirated so their crew could board the enemy vessel. And who better to complete the task than the two spritely god tiers? While the Marquise drew attention to herself, leading the frontal attack, Vriska and Aradia were expected to board silently and open the path between them. How fortunate. While Vriska cursed her rotten luck, her companion could only flutter behind, barely avoiding the enemy and friendly fire. Aradia was still suffering from the effects of the time lock and could only just manage to stay aloft. But she persevered. They could not fail. 

Eventually, with wings tipped with burn marks, they managed to land inside the hangar, unharmed but for a few flesh wounds. That was a good turn, Vriska supposed. She spotted the borrowed craft given to Sollux and Karkat in near ruin on the side. Fuck, if they all were going to end up here anyway, they might as well have carpooled. Pushing worried thoughts for her supposed friends aside, Vriska gritted her teeth, equipped her sword and ran down the hallway, not caring if Aradia was with her. The first few trolls she took by surprise and did not hesitate in disposing of. The rest were a bit harder to take care of with their guard up. But by the time Aradia sprinted into the room, breathing heavily from exhaustion, Vriska was already splattered with the gore of a at least four blood castes and a touch of drone fluid. This sight was not exactly new to Aradia. Flarping had prepared them quite well for their grim futures. Aradia nodded to her friend and made off down a hallway, following the remnant thoughts of her Ancestor, instinctively searching for the transportalizer room, the escape pods. Vriska and Aradia ran down the corridors, slashing at whatever crossed their path (though Vriska did most of that part) but then Vriska sensed something that gave her pause. She slowed her footsteps; she struggled for control over her emotions, her body. Aradia stopped also, casting her a confused look. They should keep moving before the whole ship was at their throats. "Give me a minute," Vriska stated and disappeared into a separate corridor. One carefully traversed flight of stair later, another dark hall, and she stood before her. The prison bars blocked much of the view, but what she saw . . . Vriska grasped the bars of the cell with clenched fists to keep her steady, to keep her sane. 

"Hey, Scourge Sister."

Sollux ran out of that hellish room, but he paused when he heard Nepeta address Darkleer. He stood there a little uncomfortably, both because he was anxious to see Karkat, make sure he was okay, then tell him the good news, and also because what Nepeta was saying had nothing to do with him, and he felt like he was intruding. Still, he waited for Nepeta, and even smiled a little as she got her hat back, then turned before she could see and continued toward the escape pods. He knew where that room was. He knew where Karkat was, they were going to be okay, everything was going to be okay . . .


	11. Chapter 11

Sollux glanced back to make sure Nepeta was following, then continued on his way, trying to keep an ear out for any highbloods or drones. The ship shook every once in a while, testament to the war raging outside, and there were sounds that resembled battles, but none of that touched nor deterred Sollux. His thoughts, however, were more problematic. What if Gamzee hadn't been able to control the voices or the rage? What if Dualscar had given the order anyway, even though Sollux had done everything he'd said? What if Sollux had been too difficult and the Orphaner had given an order out of spite, or someone else had seen them? Before he could truly scare himself though, Sollux came upon something he absolutely didn't expect to see. He was running through the hallways, on the way to where they'd left Karkat and Gamzee when he saw . . . 

". . . KK?" Sollux asked, stopping so suddenly he almost fell over. Then his mouth stretched into a huge grin. He was okay enough to stand! Spattered with Gamzee's purple, which was concerning, but less important at the moment. Sollux would figure out, and probably freak out, over why that was later. For now, he just ran up to his friend. "KK! the orphaner ii2 dead, nep2 here, were all okay, we can go home. or-or 2omewhere. well figure iit out. were 2o clo2e though, we are 2o clo2e!"

KK?....oh, right. That was what this idiot called him. A strange obsession with pairs this one had. “KK” listened to the mustardblood's hopeful little speech passively, a smile playing on his lips. It was as the Empress predicted: the Orphaner was dead. A pity, that, but a small one. He was far from irreplaceable, after all. Karkat was example enough. While Sollux was seemingly oblivious to the changes come over Karkat, his companion was less easily fooled. Nepeta hung back behind Sollux, a wary look on her face as she chewed her lip anxiously. Karkat grinned at her, hoping to assuage her nervousness if only for a moment, but the result was not what he had hoped. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. A pity. Karkat ignored her, preferring to focus on his true target of sorts. "I'M GLAD YOU GUYS SURVIVED. WOULD BE A FUCKING SHAME TO FALL SHORT WHEN WE'RE SO CLOSE TO VICTORY." 

They looked whipped, of course, as though the next breath could be their last. Thank goodness the Condesce was a life hero. She could easily fix such minor things as injuries, wounds, life, death. It was all relative in the end. Which was why Karkat had no qualms in landing a solid blow to Nepeta's scowling face when she moved too far forward, sending the troll flying backwards into the wall. Olive blood dyed the wall as she slid down, her unconscious form making no attempts to support itself.

Sollux noticed a couple of odd things, but his overwhelming relief, which really did threaten to overwhelm him, eclipsed everything else. He'd thought he was going to be dead first, well, worse than dead, on the Helm, and then he was afraid Karkat would have met a similar fate . . . the fact that they were both alive was enough for him. Well, it was until he grinned at Nepeta, and then Sollux had to admit, even to himself, that something was wrong. Though he didn't get a chance to dwell on it before Karkat punched Nepeta. Wait, what? What?? Sollux turned toward the unconscious greenblood, "nep? nep?" then back toward Karkat. "what the fuck diid you ju2t do?"

Karkat grinned again and flexed his hand, glorifying in the power-up of his new position. He should have done this sweeps ago. Allying with a winning side had its benefits. "SO, SOLLUX. IF I ASKED YOU TO COME PEACEFULLY, WOULD THAT KEEP YOU FROM BECOMING A YELLOW STAIN ON THE FLOOR, OR DO YOU INSIST ON CONTINUING TO DEFY US?"

He backed away, scared and conflicted. "u2? who the fuck i2 u2?" Sollux began sparking, although he really didn't want to hurt his friend. "ii2 thii2 vrii2ka? vrii2, you let u2 fuckiing go! get the fuck out of hii2 head!"

Karkat's hand shot forward and latched onto Sollux's shirt. Psychic energy flowed from the point of contact, blistering Karkat's skin, but he didn't care, barely even felt the pain. Fuchsia energy surrounded the injured area and began healing the skin or protecting against the red-blue energy as needed. Fucking perfect. Enhanced abilities _and_ automatic healing. Regardless . . .

Karkat shook his former friend slightly, getting up in his face as he spoke: "THAT BITCH DOESN'T HAVE THE JUICE FOR THIS KIND OF MAGIC, FUCKER. OR ARE YOU SO CONFUSED BY PSYCHIC MANIPULATION THAT YOU CAN'T TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CHEAP PARLOR TRICKS AND THE REAL FUCKING DEAL?" He shoved Sollux away, careful not to put too much strength behind the blow, and laughed grimly. "US, MY DEAR _SOLLUX_ , IS ME. AND GAMZEE. AND TEREZI. THE HELMSMAN, THE E%ECUTOR, DUALSCAR. AND ALL OF THESE UN-NOTEWORTHY ASSHOLES RUNNING AROUND THIS GODDAMN SHIP." He gestured broadly to his surroundings. "AND MOST OF MOTHERFUCKING ALL, HER IMPERIOUS CONDESCENSION. SO YOU'D BEST GET YOUR ASS IN LINE, BECAUSE WE'VE JUST HAD A SURGE OF NEW POSITIONS OPEN UP AND YOU'RE ABOUT TO JOIN THE FUCKING ROSTER."

Sollux hissed as Karkat grabbed him, a quick prelude to the psionic energy that rushed forward to burn the offending hand. He'd been through too much not to bodily react, even against his best friend. He didn't have long to feel bad about burning Karkat though, because almost immediately a scarily familiar shade surrounded the injury, completely healing it. He was pretty sure that wasn't Feferi's doing. God no, no no no. The color began to drain from his face even as Karkat shook him, then he stumbled back as he was shoved. He sparked more intensely as Karkat - The Empress? - spoke. "2tay away. iim not joiiniing your fuckiing army! g-get the fuck back before I cut my lo22e2 and k-kiill you." He wouldn't, he couldn't, but maybe the Empress didn't know that. Maybe.

Karkat chuckled at the threat. As though his supposed "best friend" could kill him. The thought was as ludicrous as the thought of former Karkat killing Sollux. But, of course, the upper functions where under new management. 

"YOU WANT TO GIVE IT A TRY?"

Karkat raised his arms at his sides, showing his unarmed state, totally defenseless in the face of Sollux's bubbling powers.

"HIT ME, SOLLUX. KILL ME, IF YOU CAN, I DON'T GIVE A DAMN. YOU'RE STILL GOING TO MARCH INTO THAT HELMSBLOCK WHETHER I'M FUCKING HERE OR NOT." 

He smirked at his friend. A part of him, deep down, truly did beg for Sollux's blast to put him out of his misery, to stop him from hurting his friends: that small part of Karkat Vantas not manipulated by the Condesce. However, that part was locked away and sealed behind iron bars. What remained was not a puppet, but a Karkat fully subordinate to the Empress. A stolen chess piece.

"ii-ii wiill. iill kiill anyone you 2end, theyve already diied once, what2 . . . what2 one more tiime?" 

He raised his sparking hands. He couldn't. But he had to. But it was Karkat. He wanted to run, but that would be leaving his friend in Her hands and Sollux couldn't do that. That was worse than killing him, wasn't it? He took a deep breath, then sent a blast of psionic energy at his best friend. Well, two really. His first was at Karkat's legs, hoping he'd knock the other troll off his feet and give himself a chance to think of . . . something to do. Then he sent another blast at Karkat's shoulder, for the same reason, trying to knock him off balance without injuring him too badly. Sollux should have run after that, but he still couldn't make himself leave his friend. Although . . . he did have an idea. He ran forward and grabbed Karkat's hand, then tried to drag the other troll along, heading for the room with the escape pods.

Wow. He actually did it. 

The first psionic blast struck hard at his feet, knocking his legs out from under him. The second came spiraling toward his shoulder, further pulling him off of his center of balance. Luckily, the Empress' healing voodoo took the edge off of the attacks, but the smell of singed fabric, hair, and skin was strong, regardless. It made him a bit uncomfortable to think of what that blast could do unguarded. 

He tsked as Sollux grabbed his arm and began dragging him toward the escape pods, as though that would do anything. Still . . .Karkat was curious. He knew he should be taking Sollux straight to the Condesce, that her powers should break him into submission as soon as possible. But he was also curious as to what his idiotic friend had in mind. Karkat allowed himself to be dragged, equivocating that he could always incapacitate him at a later time. 

Karkat dug his claws into Sollux's arm where the other was holding him. "BUT IF YOU SO MUCH AS TOUCH THOSE PODS, I WILL TEAR YOUR ARM FROM YOUR FUCKING SHOULDER."

Sollux felt sick at the smell his attacks caused, but they were enough to knock Karkat off balance and out of his stride, which is what the psionic needed. "fuck that part. iif iim takiing a prii2oner ii need hiim aliive, dont ii?" There, let Karkat puzzle that one out for a while. He continued to drag his friend toward the room, until Sollux could see the door ahead of them. It seemed Karkat knew his plan too, but that didn't really deter him. Yellow blood pooled up where Karkat dug his claws, but Sollux ignored that, and the accompanying pain too. 

you can try," he said, pushing open the door. "ju2t dont forget youre not the only one wiith creepy power2" Sollux paused when he opened the door. It smelled like blood. He looked around the room for the source.

Karkat snickered at Sollux's threats, laughter which then quieted into a self-satisfied smirk as his companion registered the carnage around them. Karkat himself was covered in the rich purple, his whole arm, most of his clothing, dyed by Gamzee's grisly hue. Maybe Sollux would put his dense thinkpan to use and put two and two together in this case. Unlikely. Still . . . it troubled Karkat that the clown's body was nowhere to be found. He had hoped to knock the juggalo out of action for a time, but the bloody streaks across the floor revealed Gamzee's painful trek, eventually disappearing outside of his favorite haunt: the ventilation system. He could be anywhere by now. "I THINK THE NEW PAINTJOB SUITS THE ROOM, DON'T YOU? THAT IDIOT STONER MIGHT BE ONTO SOMETHING, PAINTING IN BLOOD. SUCH A NICE FINISH." He smiled widely, as though he hadn't almost committed murder, as though it wasn't the life fluid of his precious friend spilled throughout the room, and chuckled again.

Vriska exited the room at least three shades paler than when she had entered, but Aradia made no comment. Not a word. Vriska was absolutely seething. She would kill the one who had done this. She would make them pay. The blueblood gripped her sword tightly and began moving swiftly, forcing Aradia to run to catch up. 

"not long now," Aradia murmured, afraid to ask what Vriska saw in that room, what had enraged her to this extent. Nervous even to speak lest Vriska turn her sword _her_. Not even Aradia's ghostly shenanigans came close to this level of emotion. And if Aradia had been killed for her efforts then . . . she shuddered, not envious of the fate of Vriska's target(s). The door to the escape pods loomed before them.

Sollux fell silent as he registered all the blood, Gamzee's, obviously, on the floor. Suddenly Karkat's appearance was beginning to make more sense, and if the troll had the audacity to laugh at all this . . . maybe Sollux didn't feel as bad for singeing him as he had previously. However badly Gamzee had been injured though, it looked like he wasn't dead, if the streaks of blood were anything to go by. His mouth thinned into a hard line, but Sollux didn't make any comment, just pulled the door shut behind them. He dragged Karkat toward the nearest escape pod, although he paused shortly before touching it. The other troll's claws were still buried in his arm, and he didn't doubt that his friend would make good on his previous threat. Sollux hissed at Karkat and tried to wrench out of his grip. He didn't want the other to be touching him as he continued with the next step of his plan. Not that it really was a very good plan. What he was hoping to do was get them both in the escape pod, pray Karkat didn't immediately try and kill him, then somehow attempt to get back to the Marquise's ship in the vain hope that one of the Serkets could give Karkat his mind back. Or, if that wasn't possible, take them both far enough away that even if Karkat was being influenced by the Empress, he couldn't actually do any harm. Yeah, it was a terrible plan, but it was all Sollux had.

"DAMN, YOU REALLY ARE DENSE, SOLLUX." Karkat extricated his claws from Sollux's torn flesh, gingerly wiping them clean of yellow blood. Karkat got the general feeling that the evacuation room normally shone and blinked with a thousand lights, waiting to ferry away faithful trolls to unknown lands, but was now dark with barely any machinery still functioning. "THE SHIP'S IN BATTLEMODE, NUMBNUTS. ALL AUXILIARY POWER DIVERTED TO THE GUNS, THE SHIELDS, AND WHATEVER OTHER SHIT WE HAVE." Fuck, he sounded like such a nerd (*cough* like Sollux) right now. He wasn't supposed to know any this crap and yet there it was, flickering in his mind like a half-remembered tune. "WHATEVER. AND EVEN IF WE _HAD_ THE JUICE, WE LOST OUR POWER SUPPLY, WHICH IS THE ONLY REASON YOU'RE STILL ALIVE RIGHT NOW, IN CASE YOU NEEDED REMINDING." Karkat leaned against the wall nonchalantly examining his nails for more flecks of blood. Cleanliness was next to homicidal-ness, after all. There wasn't any escape for them anyway, not a single fucking one. The Battleship would either sink or float with them riding shotgun. "SO UNLESS YOU WANT TO HOP INTO THAT HELM REAL QUICK AND GIVE THE SHIP A BOOST, THESE PODS ARE GOING NOWHERE FAST." He eyes shifted over the mustard blood. "YOU READY YET?"

"a2 you are 2o fond of remiindiing me, a22hat," Sollux said, trying to keep his voice calm, "ii am a p2iioniic, al2o known a2 a portable fuckiing energy 2ource. after moviing an entiire meteoriite, ii thiink ii can jump2tart a 2tupiid liittle e2cape pod" Of course actually getting out of the ship would be a little difficult, but Sollux was sure he could manage it. He turned his back on Karkat in order to examine the pod. Okay, he could get the pod itself to operate with manual controls. There was a button to open the hatch, he'd just need to give it a little juice to get the engine to start. "iif you attempt to leave thii2 room ii wiill fry you on the 2pot," Sollux muttered, loud enough for Karkat to hear, but not clearly directed at him. The psionic was too distracted for that. He walked up to the lever that would open enough of the wall to let an escape pod through. If the ship had power, all they would have to do was pull the lever and they'd be home free. It was a little more complicated right now. 

Sollux briefly held the lever, wishing he could just push it and make it work, then walked up to the wall directly opposite the pods. It was covered with unlit lights. He trailed his hand over the wall until he found the powerbox. He put his hand over the potential source of power, then took a deep breath before his hands began sparking. Just a little spark wasn't enough of course. The psionic stayed there, back to Karkat, completely exposed, for about a minute as he gathered the necessary power, then poured it all into the powerbox. Lights began blinking and beeping almost immediately. Sollux sighed, then pulled away from the wall, watching it for a moment to make sure everything would continue to work even as he broke the connection. It seemed to . . . He turned back to Karkat, looking more tired than triumphant. "you were 2ayiing?"

Karkat watched Sollux work with narrowed eyes. He was just so . . . trusting. Even with the whispered threat, the psionic left himself totally exposed for the duration of his psychic maneuvering. A low growl escaped the mutant as the lights came back on and a glittering console stretched out before them. Amazing. Sollux fucking around actually did something this time. What should he do? Make for the door? Try and attack the psionic with the risk of killing him or getting himself killed? All those options were equally fucking stupid. Luckily, Karkat caught a flicker of movement before he could act on them; something which changed everything. Barely visible through the crack of the door, were two trolls. Two very familiar trolls, ones whom he had once called friends. Karkat's grimace turned into a grin once more at the prospects, dancing through his fevered mind. He could only hope that Sollux would keep his promise. Karkat bolted for the exit just as the insolent lowblood began to make another quip, wrenching the metal door to the side. Vriska and Aradia whirled on him, hackles raised, but relaxed into confusion upon seeing the face of their former friend. "VRISKA! ARADIA! FUCK, SOLLUX . . . THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH HIM. PLEASE, I THINK HE'S BEEN POSSESSED."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus begins one of my favorite arcs in this story. Gosh I love Possessed!Karkat
> 
> -vanishedSchism


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To: B33 Beep Beep Meow  
> http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m3c7wfyTr91r8lqovo1_400.png

After getting the power back on, Sollux glanced at Karkat to make sure he was still there, then walked back to the lever. He didn't know how long his psionics would keep everything running, so he wanted to complete this phase of his plan as quickly as possible. Sollux was also aware that the longer they stayed here, the more time Karkat had to think of some way to screw them both over. His friend hadn't started a revolution because he was unskilled in battle and strategy, though Karkat hadn't demonstrated too much of that brilliance recently. Sollux's work was interrupted when he heard Karkat's feet pounding over the floor. Fuck, he was trying to escape. By the time Sollux had gathered enough energy to actually do anything, Karkat was almost at the door, which meant psionically grabbing him and pinning him to the wall would take too long and too much effort. Besides, Sollux had threatened to hurt him, and even if he wasn't ever going to kill his friend, he needed to at least pretend to deliver on some part of his threat. He stepped to the side and threw a psionic blast at Karkat's side, powerful enough to knock him into the wall if it hit. Unfortunately, by the time Karkat was wrenching open the door, the blast was on its way, so Sollux couldn't retract it even as he heard Karkat's plea. If the blast hit, it would do so with the other two watching. Shit. He watched the situation unfold, almost detached, then shook himself to bring himself back into reality. 

"that2 not- you dont under2tand, iit2 the other way around! iim ju2t tryiing two keep hiim 2afe!" Strange words when you just tried to blast your friend against the wall. Hell, Vriska probably didn't even know how much control he had, for all she knew he could have been trying to kill Karkat. Fuck fuck fuck. He looked to Aradia, hoping she'd be able to see something in his gaze that convinced her he was the one telling the truth.

Karkat knew the blast was coming, could feel it in his bones even has he spoke. But that still didn't prepare him the onrush of energy, the roaring, the pain, the blow. Propelled past the door’s opening,h e hit the wall hard, releasing a globule of blood from his throat. His body felt raw, as though a layer of skin had been ripped off,, burned away by the raw energy. He could feel the tendrils of healing energy seeping over him, but he held them at bay with a bit of self-control. Karkat was the victim here and had to play his part. This venture better fucking work, though. He grinned feebly at Sollux before the pair rushed into the room, satisfied that he had put on a proper show. 

Vriska and Aradia, shocked enough by the appearance of Karkat and his strange request, were left gaping as the unmistakable blue-red pulse threw him out of sight, blasting him against the wall by the sound of it. Sweet Grubmother, what had happened here? Vriska, already pissed off, flew into the room with a vengeance, followed close behind by Aradia. Sollux met their view, struggling to explain himself, barely coherent. To know one’s surprise, Vriska wasn't buying it. Their relationship had always been odd, Karkat and Sollux's, though Vriska would’ve never thought the either would take arms against the other. But, the way she saw it, there was one troll standing and another writhing on the ground. And Sollux had put the Karkat there. Vriska hefted her weapon and made to charge at the psionic, but Aradia's firm grip held her back. She growled and tried to shake off the hand. 

"8ack off, Megido. You saw what he did, there's no denying it. Just 8ecause he’s your flushed crush doesn’t-" Aradia glared at her mid-speech. "enough!" She glanced at Sollux, her face a mask of indifference. There _was_ no doubt that the blow was his, purposeful and directed. Could Sollux have . . . Aradia shook her head. No, no, that wasn't right. She had been on the receiving end of Sollux's psionics long ago, and knew their potency. Had he truly been intent on ending Karkat, the other wouldn't be breathing. Still . . . that didn't rule out mind control, as Vriska was probably more than aware. Who could they trust? Aradia kept a firm grasp on Vriska's arm, though the other tried to throw her off at first, and locked eyes with Sollux. "Talk."

Sollux wasn't sure if he was more upset about what he just did to Karkat or about being framed, but while both things were terrifying, only one was making him feel sick. It was hard to tear his eyes away from what he'd just done, but at least Karkat was breathing. He turned away from his friend and confronted the other two trolls, half explanations already spilling from his mouth. Vriska looked like she was about to skewer him regardless but Aradia . . . she might believe him. He focused his attention on her then, although he took a moment to take a couple deep breaths and calm down before beginning to explain. 

"the empre22 po22e22ed hiim, ii-ii dont know how, but 2he healed hiim, remember hii2 leg? iit2 better now. 2he healed hiim and took over hii2 miind and ii was tryiing two get hiim out of here," he looked at Vriska now, "two take hiim two you iin ca2e, ii dont know miind2hiit, maybe you could help, but he wa2 tryiing two e2cape and ii couldnt let that happen and she2 been _healiing hiim_ ii promii2e, ii thought hed be okay, ii diidnt mean . . . plea2e, we have two get out of here."

Karkat propped himself up on his forearms and managed to pull himself into a sitting position. Fuck, if he had known it would hurt this much . . . well, he probably still would have done, just with a bit more anxiety. "FUCK, NO. DON'T . . . HE'S LYING. PLEASE . . ." He wiped away some of the blood trailing from his lips, cringing at the pain the movement caused. Being found out would be bad for him, but at least he could heal these fucking injuries. Oh, now they were staring at him. He gave them an angry look. "DON'T GAWK, IDIOTS, YOU'VE SEEN MY BLOOD BEFORE." If memory served, the sight was a common event.

That was definitely Karkat. Vriska didn't think that someone controlling him could fake his angsty personality that much. More to the point, Sollux’s weak ass explanations weren’t cutting it. Pretty words, but if she was a murderer intent on killing a friend, she would seek to get him alone, too. Just look at Tavros. "This is stupid. I'm not going to sit here and listen to 8l8tant deception." Karkat was so beat up, there was really no way one could tell if his leg was still injured from his previous encounter or if Sollux had been the cause of it. More lies, lies, lies. Aradia released Vriska's arm, an action which caused the latter to give pause if only slightly. Vriska shot her companion a look. Aradia seemed deep in thought, staring at Sollux intently. 

"vriska . . . if someone was already being controlled with psychic abilities, would you be able to tell?" Vriska's sword lowered slightly as she considered the question. "Yeah, I guess. 8ut I'd rather avoid it." It would be pretty easy to tell were she to exert her powers over someone already having his strings pulled, but there was a risk involved. Her Ancestor said there was fifty-fifty chance that the intrusion would either skate off of the mind in question or burn it to a husk. One could never tell. "Not to mention 8i-polar 8oy over here doesn't react well to psychic manipulation half of the time." Aradia nodded. She didn't see any other way. "sollux? karkat?" she probed. Would they resist the incursion? Or would this exercise prove with finality the true aggressor?

SPIDERBITCH INVADED MY THINKPAN ENOUGH FOR ONE DAY? WHAT’S THE POINT IF I TURN INTO A DROOLING PUDDLE OF A TROLL FROM CONTINUOUS BRAIN FUCKERY?" If Vriska tried to take his mind under these circumstances . . . Karkat really didn't know what would happen. His employer’s powers weren't like most’s.. "SCREWIT. DOESN'T FUCKING MATTER, TEST ME IF YOU WANT. JUST . . . HELP SOLLUX. PLEASE." His lips trembled slightly as he spoke as though with the effort of holding back violent emotion. "I DON'T WANT TO LOSE ANYMORE FRIENDS."

Sollux looked back at Karkat as he began talking. He looked like he was in so much pain . . . what if after he was exposed, she refused to heal his injuries any more? What if he actually really damaged his friend? What if Aradia and Vriska didn't believe him and just killed him on the spot, then Karkat killed them before going back to the Empress as a mindless slave? He tore his gaze away in order to look at Vriska, since she was really the one he had to worry about right now. After all, even if Aradia didn't believe him, at least she didn't try to kill him. 

"vrii2, AA, you have two beliieve me! why el2e would ii be tryiing two get hiim off thi2 2hiip? iif ii wa2 workiing for Her, dont you thiink iid 2tay a2 clo2e two thi2 2hip a2 po22ible? dontt you thiink iid be on the fuckiing Helm already?" He tensed at Aradia's suggestion. He supposed it was the only way, but he'd really really prefer not to have anyone, not to have Spiderbitch of all people, messing around in his pan. " . . . iif you have two . . . but- but be careful! on both of u2, fuck.." Was this really the only way? He turned to glare at Karkat for his last comment. "iim not the one that need2 help, a22hole!" Then he had an idea. It probably wasn't enough to convince Vriska not to use mindcontrol, but it was something. He slowly walked forward until the tip of Vriska's sword pressed against his chest. "iif iim lyiing you can ea2iily iimpale me."

Vriska's eyes narrowed at this last gesture. Quite un-Sollux-like to throw himself on the point of her blade. "Don’tt tempt me, fool." She lowered the sword and placed a palm on Sollux's head in one swift motion. Hopefully this would help the connection and avoid turning Sollux into a mustard stain on the ground. If not . . . well, he had a mediocre run. Vriska burrowed her mental feelers into Sollux's mind, grasping at tenuous strains of thought. It had been a long time since she had slipped into his mind, and the feeling was like putting on an old suit. Vriska knew her way around his synapses quite well, much to Aradia's detriment. Memories assailed her as she took control: flashes from childhood on Alternia, friends long past, a brief memory of enslavement, and more . . . recent memories. Vriska released Sollux's mind and watched as her symbol slowly vanished from his forehead where her palm had touched. He was boring, but clean. Not a trace of outside interference. But that meant . . . Vriska turned toward the injured troll, only to find him standing once more. She raised her sword again. "Karkat." Vriska released her psychic powers toward the mutant, only to find an immutable block in her path. No matter which way she turned she could not penetrate the barrier. It protected his mind, poisoning it, keeping it under a pink haze. It could _feel_ her presence, she was sure. And it lashed out. 

It seemed only a second of time that this passed to the others, just a second since Vriska and Karkat locked gazes, but then Vriska began screaming. She clutched her head, falling to her knees in agony. Good god, how it hurt. Karkat laughed dimly, "BITCH. DON'T PLAY WITH THINGS THAT ARE OUT OF YOUR LEAGUE." He released the healing energy, allowing it to flow around him, billowing outward like clothes snatched by the wind. "YOU KNOW, IT'S FUCKING DIFFICULT FOR PSYCHICS TO CONTROL OTHER PSYCHICS. ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE WITHOUT A DIRECT LINK. BUT THEN YOU WENT AND ATTACHED TO MY THINKPAN, WILLINGLY GIVING THE EMPRES A FOOT IN THE DOOR. SO THANK YOU, VRISKA. THE EMPRESS IS GRATEFUL FOR YOUR READINESS TO JOIN THE CAUSE."

Sollux wanted to jerk away when she touched him but he had to allow her in. For his own sake. And for Karkat's. Maybe with Vriska on his side they could do something, help in some way. He stayed still, then felt _himself_ move to the side as Vriska entered his mind. Memories. Happiness, stupidity, the Game, being a slave, blood, death . . . But nothing indicating that the Empress, or anyone else, was sharing his pan space. It was Sollux in there. He blinked when Vriska broke the connection, reminding himself where he was and what was going on. When had Karkat stood up? Vriska turned to do the same to Karkat, to confirm that he really was possessed, or being controlled, or whatever, then, almost as soon as she locked eyes with him, she began screaming. Sollux jumped back, startled, when Vriska fell to her knees. "Vris? Vris! What the hell?" He turned back toward Karkat beginning to spark. "What the fuck did you do?" It was a stupid question, he heard what his friend had said. The Condesce could control anyone and now... He took a couple steps away from the ceruleanblood on the ground. "AA, be careful, she's going to turn."

Screams echoing through the room, Vriska pushed her forehead to the ground and tried, through sheer willpower alone, to fight off her unseen assailant. Strands of fuchsia energy latched around her person, but where Karkat's energy was fluid and shifting, her's was sharp and forceful, crackling around her like a storm. Aradia looked on in horror, the desire to help and the desire for self-preservation battling it out inside her. Her first instinct was to move forward, to help Vriska somehow, but there was nothing she could do. She wasn't a psychic of the mind and even if she was, playing with someone violently possessed wasn't a good idea. 

Then, as suddenly as it had started, the blueblood screaming stopped. 

Panting heavily, she released her head and glared over at Aradia and Sollux, vampiric teeth bloody where they had shorn through her lips. Sauntering forward, tendrils of royal pink energy swirling around them, Karkat grinned madly. His friends would either turn or die, turn or die, turn or die. The relentless beat ran through his mind, grating against his better judgment, against all logic and reason. Aradia pulled away. This wasn't Karkat. How had she been such a fool? She raised one arm and summoned her power, locking it onto Karkat and Vriska's fuchsia forms, and motioned toward the opposite wall. Vriska's body shot through the air from the attack, spinning end over end until the impact shot her body through the wall. The energy directed toward Karkat bounced off, ineffective as the wind. The swirling vortex of the Condesce's power protected him. Aradia grasped Sollux's hand, shaking with fear.

Sollux took another couple steps back from Vriska. He wished he could do something, but if his time with Karkat had demonstrated anything, it was that he had no way to control or reverse this power. He was stuck then, watching, waiting. When Vriska was finally taken over, Sollux didn't know where to look. On one hand, Karkat seemed a lot more threatening, but Vriska was closer . . . his gaze shifted between the two multiple times. Then Aradia acted. She tried to fling them both into the wall, but for whatever reason, Karkat seemed impervious to her energy. Sollux wondered if that meant his psionics were now useless too . . . At least Vriska was out of the picture for a bit. Hopefully she wouldn't be getting up from that anytime soon. A lot to hope for, but still, he had other things he needed to deal with, namely, Karkat. 

His hand squeezed Aradia's. 

Unfortunately, during that entire kerfuffle, enough time had passed that the energy powering the escape pods had run out. The lights had all blinked off. He'd have to blast the powerbox again in order to use the pods. Fuck. For now though. Karkat. Maybe he could knock him out and then Aradia would have some suggestion for where they should go? They couldn't stay here, that was clear. 

"oh dont look 2o fuckiing cocky, you havent won anythiing yet," he said, before raising a hand and aiming a psionic blast straight at Karkat's chest. Not enough to kill, never enough to kill, but his hope was to knock his friend into the wall hard enough that he'd hit his head and fall unconscious. What he'd do from there . . . he was figuring it out.

The blast sailed toward Karkat just as the previous one had, crackling red and blue energy meant to incapacitate him. But the Condesce was apparently pleased with Karkat's services, and his power-up wasn't for nothing. He swatted at the attack with a fuchsia-layered arm, knocking the blow to the side. However, even with the protection, his arm almost fell numb from the force of the attack. Say what you want about the Captors, they were still the most powerful naturally-gifted psychics in this universe. 

The red-blue energy wobbled as if changed direction, uncertain where next to fly, until finally deciding that the stirring Vriska was good target. Karkat grimaced when the blast hit his new companion, almost getting up the emotion to care about her well-being. Almost. Really, he was more worried that the Condesce hadn't given her the same rapid regenerative ability, that she would be placated by the blow and unable to serve. But his fears were unwarranted. Vriska burst from her doubly blasted position, growling with rage, floating ominously in midair. Cerulean blood flowed from a crushed leg and a shallow cut on her scalp, but the royal light steadily fixed that. True to form, however, instead of staring at the true enemies - Aradia and Sollux - Vriska’s slitted eyes found Karkat. 

"You 8astard, you did that on purpose." 

"OH, SHUT IT, VRISKA” he growled back. “AS IF I NEED AN EXCUSE TO FUCK YOU UP." She screamed in rage, still adjusting to the royal power surge, and launched herself at Karkat, murderous intent blazing from her eyes. Their fuchsia light mingled as their bodies collided, swirling and spinning while they fought for control. Aradia gripped Sollux's hand tighter and pulled him toward the door. They had to run, had to flee. But where would they go?

Sollux stared, figuratively open-mouthed as Karkat just batted away his energy like it was nothing. He knew how much force was behind that blast and even if he was half expecting it not to work . . . he was still surprised. Shit shit shit, what was he supposed to do against superpowered Karkat? 

He jumped back when the blast was diverted back to Vriska, concerned that it would really hurt her. She clearly didn't have the same protections Karkat had. He didn't know what to think when Vriska levitated, growling, and practically threw herself at Karkat. Sollux was pretty sure he knew who would win _that_ conflict but that didn't mean he wanted to leave his friend. Also, he needed to get off this goddamn ship, and he _needed_ to take Karkat, and Vriska and Aradia, with him. 

He pulled back against Aradia. "we cantt go! we have two . . . help them! or, or 2omethiing. theyre our friiend2 AA!" Still pulling, he turned away from her and looked at the mess of trolls across the room. "karkat goddamniit, LII2TEN TWO ME. thii2 ii2nt fuckiing you! thiis ii2 liiterally the _opposite_ of you! what about your revolutiion? wantiing equaliity, fiightiing against oppre22iion, beiing a leader and a GOOD FUCKIING PER2ON! gddamniit . . ."

The heads of the two fighting trolls snapped toward Sollux as he yelled, almost as though they had forgotten his presence since their fight began. Karkat hissed and pushed Vriska away from him, upset that he had allowed himself to be carried away by emotion. Aradia cursed and looked toward the hall, aching to run through the unguarded door, but flitted back to Sollux's side despite her growing fear. She had to leave, and she couldn't let him stay here with them. "sollux, please, they can't hear you. not really." She glanced at the pair. Any minor wounds the pair had sustained during their encounter were steadily being patched up, though Aradia wasn't sure that was a good thing at this very moment. Vriska had calmed down considerably.

"GOOD LUCK WITH THAT," Karkat answered lazily, his nonchalance belied by his disconcerting gaze.

Sollux was trembling. Honestly this entire situation was just so fucking unfair, which felt stupid to say, but it was. Everyone being in here in the first place sucked enough, but then to add _mindcontrol_ of all the crap in the galaxy into the the mix . . . to turn his friends against him, well, their friends against them, in something that resembled a perverted version of what he did to Aradia so many sweeps ago . . . It was terrible, and he was so tired of it. To have to intentionally hurt Karkat just to try and save his own skin . . . It was almost too much for the psionic, and he was barely holding it together. 

"ii know, ii know..." he whispered when Aradia assured him that his little outburst wouldn't do shit. A link between the Marquise's ship though . . . That had been his original plan, get to the Marquise and try and convince her to at least attempt to help Karkat. Maybe she'd be more willing if her descendant was on the line too. "okay . . . " He bit his lips worriedly, still watching Karkat and Vriska, he stepped toward the door, "we need them two though."

Aradia gave his hand a squeeze, more for support than anything else. "i don't think they plan on leaving us to our own devices." They made a break for the corridor. 

Vriska gave chase immediately, flying past supported by the rich energy, but Karkat hung back, fighting against the basic instinct to hunt down the prey. He walked to the center of the room dutifully, however, and surveyed the gleaming pods surrounding him. It had been close. Sollux was more crafty than Karkat had given him credit for. Not that the former's efforts would have done anything but waste precious time; it was still an annoying inconvenience. With a bit of effort, Karkat maneuvered to coils of energy from his body, allowing them to slink across the floor, attaching to every pod, every piece of machinery. Then the energy contracted. Screeching metal filled the room as the pods were pulled from their sheaths. Wires sparked and fizzed, consoles were wrenched from the walls, hanging on barely by the tips of their wiring. Karkat smiled as he tore the room to shreds, removing any hope of escape from this avenue. He would pay for the destruction later, but for now it was one less thing he had to worry about in his hunt. Task complete, Karkat reined in the tentacles of royal power and retreated from the room, ready to play with his once-friends for perhaps the last time.


	13. Chapter 13

Sollux shot Karkat one more glance before running after the god tier girls. Aradia had essentially sprinted down the hallway, and Vriska seemed to be hot on her heels. Strangely, Karkat didn't follow. Sollux almost stopped and turned back to go see what Karkat was doing, and if he would come, but he trusted Aradia's belief that his friend would chase them and ran faster toward the other two. Vriska was too close . . . At least that was something he could help with. Sollux threw two blasts of energy at her, one at one of her legs and the other at a shoulder. Hopefully that would slow her down. He ran faster, to try and catch up to Aradia.

It was a strange feeling, having your mind wrested from your control by malevolent powers. Quite painful at first, but there was something freeing beyond the initial, horrifying discomfort. Vriska glorified in her new power even as her conscious was crushed into the smallest corner of her mind. She was both aware and unaware as to what she was doing, but the tiniest of disconnect between the two allowed for her possession. It was that which prompted her to chase her friend/not-friend down the corridor. That which made her relish the rush, the thrill of the hunt. 

Aradia panted heavily, feet pounding against the hard floor, body still struggling from the effects of her earlier labors.Whatever energy she had regained had been lost with that psychic attack and the physical exertion, and the effects were readily making themselves known. 

Vriska closed in quickly. 

Twenty feet. Ten feet. Two feet.

But then a blast from behind sent her reeling, though in midair all it did was throw her off balance for a moment, nearly knocking her into the wall. She looked behind her and narrowly dodged the second blast, when Sollux sped past her, running towards the cherry red troll disappearing around a corner. Shit. 

Vriska hissed and looked over her shoulder, searching for her supposed ally. What did Karkat think he was doing? Even the newly-enlisted Vriska knew that Sollux was the primary objective, that the Condesce was becoming more and more impatient as time passed. God forbid she take it upon herself to catch the captives in person. Ultimately deciding that Karkat could go fuck himself, the blueblood raced after her prey.

"You 8astards, get 8ack here." 

Vriska’s commands from the distant hallway made Karkat chuckle. Seemed she was having some difficulty after all; lost her Serket cool. The mutant flexed his fingers again, marveling at the strength he felt there, the powers accorded to him from on high. Had the Condesce meant to give him this much power or was this some latent ability of his mutant blood? Karkat didn't really care at the moment. The point was, he had a whole new array of weapons that were just waiting to be tested. Now let's see . . . Vriska's flying trick was cute, but surely there was a more direct way to travel. Karkat shut his eyes and focused, picturing the corridor through which his charges were no doubt running. A flash of light, a dull roar, and he found himself standing not a foot away from the renegade trolls. Aradia gasped at his sudden appearance while Vriska crowed in victory. Karkat grinned widely and struck Aradia, sending her spiraling to the side with the momentum. Fucking perfect. He aimed a blow towards Sollux . . .

Fuck levitation, that blast should have knocked Vriska off her feet. It would have if she was actually on her feet in the first place. Oh well, it did what it needed to do really, which was give Sollux enough time to catch up to Aradia. AA had been making generous use of her powers recently and it was starting to show. At least his own psionics didn't exhaust him. He was tired, yes, but if use of his powers actually drained him . . . well, he wouldn't be upright by this point. Not to mention he'd never be able to be a Helmsman. Too bad, that might actually be kind of nice. None of that really mattered, though, because his psionics worked the way they worked, he couldn't change them. Just like he couldn't alter his situation or give Karkat his mind back. They just had to run and try and work with what they'd been given. Vriska's exclamation made him feel a little better. She knew she couldn't keep up. Maybe they could actually achieve their objective. That thought was killed when Karkat somehow (was this a blood power? When the hell did Karkat gain the ability to teleport?) appeared in front of them. Sollux instinctively jumped back muttering "what the fuck?" as Aradia gasped. As soon as he saw Karkat grin, even before he struck Aradia, Sollux began sparking. Unfortunately, Karkat's next blow hit him before he was able to defend himself. He could retaliate though. The hit sent Sollux into the opposite wall, though not with enough force to injure him. He responded by throwing a psionic blast at Karkat's arm.

Karkat was distracted, drunk with his new abilities, though he did have the peace of mind to not kill his quarry. All the same, he didn't see Sollux's blast when it came. He hissed and jolted to the side, but too late. The psionics, more powerful than the last, seared through flesh and bone, decapitating his arm from just below the elbow. Karkat stared down at his lack of limb, shocked by the sight rather than the pain, oddly lacking, his mind jolted just for a moment. What the fuck was happening? Was he . . . Karkat locked eyes with Sollux for a moment, confusion and horrible realization wreaking havoc on his pan. But the tyrian energy writhed around him once more, particularly around the injury, bathing him in its bloody light, piecing him back together inch by inch. He clutched his head with the arm he had left and growled a steady stream of curses. No, no, no. Sollux was his enemy, the Condesce's property. They couldn't afford lapses. Not now. Not ever again. He drew his arm away from his eyes, noticing with a kind of grim fascination that he had spawned a new arm, fresh off the supply line. He moved it warily, but it was real, it was his. The only remnant of the injury was a small, quickly disappearing line of separation between new and old skin. And the lost sleeve. Vriska appeared behind him, giving him a suspicious glance before turning to Aradia, Sollux, and . . . Nepeta. The sight made even the malevolent form of Vriska pause. Was there supposed to be that much green blood?

Sollux's mouth opened in a silent O of horror when his blast hit. Shit, no, he wasn't supposed to be that powerful, that wasn't supposed to happen, holy shit, holy fucking shit. He stared at the bright blood dripping from the gory wound, then at Karkat's face. He seemed genuinely shocked. Well, so was Sollux. He'd expected his friend to block it, or maybe disperse the energy or something, not just let himself get hit! Then Karkat looked at him and, well, there was no other way to describe it, he saw _Karkat_ the not-quite fearless leader, the rebel mutant, the friend horrified by the blood and death surrounding him. The moment was gone just like that, but Sollux didn't doubt that for a moment, the Empress had lost control. It just took her pawn losing an arm. Shit, he couldn't exactly do that again. He wasn't sure how he felt about the new arm. At least he hadn't permanently disfigured his friend. And the Empress' abilities were far more formidable than he could probably imagine. Certainly than expected. He cast a sidewise glance at where Vriska seemed to be look and… oh shit. He'd forgotten about Nepeta, had fled when that was the only option available to him and… that was the result. Apparently the Condensce hadn't attempted to revive her. He gulped, then turned to face Karkat and Vriska. Careful not to gather enough energy to kill her, or even permanently wound, he aimed a blast at her head. If everything went well, that would be just enough to knock her out. Then at least they'd only have to deal with Karkat for a while. Wishful thinking, but still . . . 

Poor Nepeta. Vriska hadn’t even cared for the troll much, but it was still a tragedy. Another one of their number was lost. Wait . . . no, that wasn’t right. Vriska shook her head. She didn’t care, couldn’t afford to care. That was impossible. If the Condesce didn’t see fit to revive her then she obviously wasn’t worth saving. Of course. The cerulean blood was awakened from her inner turmoil by a swift blow to the face. From Karkat. She hit the deck as a psionic blast soared through the space her thinkpan had just inhabited. Shit. Vriska floated in the air once more, not sure who to glare daggers at this time. 

“IDIOT,” Karkat growled. “I’M NOT GOING TO SAVE YOUR ASS EVERY TIME SOMEONE TRIES TO BLAST THROUGH IT. STOP SPACING OUT AND _FIGHT_ ” A myriad of insults whirred through her mind at the affront, but she kept them locked inside. He _had_ just saved her, though, to be fair, she wasn’t sure Sollux had the willpower to actually murder any of them.

Karkat rolled his eyes. Of course, Vriska would start acting like a fucking retard once Sollux decided to get serious. His eyes shifted toward his foes, sensing movement. 

Aradia stood up, coughing blood. Damn, Karkat didn’t know his own strength. That, or he just didn’t care. She got to her feet as quickly as she could, which was horribly slow, and stared at her adversaries. Aradia silently cursed her useless powers, wishing that they could refill endlessly like Sollux’s, that she wasn’t prey to debilitating weakness whenever she overused them. She would only slow him down, and they were closing in, not much time left. Aradia turned to Sollux, regretting what she had to say for his sake more than her own. “sollux, you have to kill me.” Not again…no, this was the only way. It was selfish to ask, but…..what else could they do? “kill me - it won’t be a just or heroic death - and run.” If she died, she wouldn’t turn (presumably), and would come back more powerful than before. That was good . . . right?

She didn't get up. Sollux wasn't sure if he wanted her too. Not that he wanted her to be dead, of course he didn't want that, but if Nepeta got back up, it would be because the Empress had gotten ahold of her. He wasn't sure if that was a fate worse than death. Maybe it wasn't. After all, there was a limited amount of thinking you could do when being mind-controlled . . . But, he'd rather die than fall into her hands. His situation was a little different, but it had to count for something, right? Karkat's shout returned him to reality. Right, fighting for his life, he should probably pay attention. He prepared to attack Karkat again, but he wasn't sure where to aim. His friend seemed to know what he was intending before he attacked for the most part, so he had to fight smart. Multi-tempo moves, like one of his old grub games, you have to make them block one place, then hit them where they're vulnerable. He had just decided to try the headshot on Karkat, go for his side, then hit his head when he inevitably moved to avoid the blast. He was gathering the energy for that move when Aradia proposed her plan. He was so surprised he accidentally lost his focus on the psionics. His attack sailed harmlessly by Karkat. She explained, but it didn't make it any better. Even godtier powers didn't change the fact that he'd be blasting her fucking head off. With his psionics. Something that was never ever supposed to happen again. That shouldn't even have happened once. They could keep fighting, the situation wasn't that bad. Nothing was that bad when compared to what Aradia was asking him to do. "ii cant." He turned toward her. "AA, ii cant." And he couldn't run. Couldn't leave her, couldn't leave Karkat. Shouldn't leave Nepeta or even Vriska. "2omethiing el2e, a-anythiing el2e . . . " He shot an unaimed blast at Vriska, to make up for the fact that he wasn't doing anything, that he was refusing what was actually a good plan. "ju2t run. iill hold them off, iill keep them away . . . "

Karkat growled and tried to move forward but that damn psionic kept sending half-hearted blasts toward him. The mutant couldn't afford to take another hit like that for fear of throwing off the Condesce's bindings, so all he could do was dodge, much like Vriska beside him. Damn it, what were they talking about? Sollux looked upset, but . . . not in the right way; not about him or Vriska. It was frustrating beyond belief.

Aradia shook her head sadly at Sollux, knowing full well that if she could barely stand then she sure as hell couldn't run. She was going to die by their hands. But as it stood, her death would be the end. They would be throwing _her_ a corpse party, should any of her friends make it out of here. Even if the Condesce saw fit to control her, it would only be for a time, she supposed, what with the bad blood between Aradia's Ancestor and Her Imperious Condescension. " . . . dont make me beg for my own death, sollux, please." Karkat couldn't take it. He focused his energy again and teleported between the pair. "VRISKA, CATCH." He delivered a crushing blow to the cherry god tier, throwing her across the room into the arms of the Serket girl before pinning Sollux to the ground in one swift motion. He had had enough of this bloody charade. Fuchsia energy surrounded the pair of god tiers, and Aradia could _feel_ it, burrowing into her mind and body. She struggled to resist, fighting both in body and soul, but Vriska strength held her close. She screamed.

"AA . . . " he pleaded. She was right, but there had to be some other way. And what if this counted as heroic? After all, she was sacrificing her life. He'd never seen a heroic death, but who was to say this didn't count. But Aradia wouldn't let herself just die, right? She had to know what she was asking. And he needed to play his part in that plan. He could just- not look. Maybe that would make it better. Maybe. No sooner had Sollux decided he would do it than Karkat (when the fuck did he get there?) appeared in the middle of them and fucked everything up. Before Sollux could properly react, Aradia was sailing across the room. Then he himself was on the ground, completely unable to help. He squirmed under Karkat, clawing and biting rather than using his psionics. If he could just get Karkat off of him, he could try and help Aradia. Get Vriska off of her or straight up killer her, or maybe kill Vriska or something. He tried to get around Karkat to toss a couple of unaimed blasts toward Vriska and Aradia. He wasn't sure which one he was trying to hit. Either way, kill Aradia, or maim Vriska, or maim Aradia or kill Vriska, whatever happened it might help. "get away from her, get the fuck off me!" He tried to sink his fangs into Karkat's shoulder.

The psionic blasts flashed randomly down the hall, catching Vriska's blind side and knocking her away from Aradia. _Fuck._ She skidded for a few yards, then popped to her feet with only a singed jacket to show for her fall. Jesus fuck, why did Karkat of all people get the powerup? Sure, Vriska was protected, but her new powers didn't seem to measure up to the fucking mutant. 

Aradia propped herself up on her forearms tentatively, breathing on the faster side. It's okay, it's okay, it's okay. So close, it had been so close, but . . . she was herself. For now.

Karkat hissed as Sollux bit into his shoulder, but the feeling wasn't all that unpleasant thanks to Condy’s magic barrier _*patent pending*._ All the same, he twisted his fingers in Sollux's hair and smashed his head against the ground, hoping to at least jar his thinkpan for a fucking minute and stop these goddamn psionic blasts from blasting down the hall and hitting pedestrians.

Vriska lurched over toward Aradia's prone form. The maid of time scooted away from her friend/enemy, crying out when piercing pain sprang from her leg. Her leg . . . Aradia looked away. It seemed like Sollux's blast did more than just knock Vriska away. The spidertroll laughed at Aradia's struggles. "I guess you should count yourself lucky, Megido. The Condesce can fix that right up, provided you give a little on your end." Aradia looked up the Serket girl, tears 8rimming in her eyes, but did not speak. She would not beg, not to _her._ Vriska shrugged. "No final words? Suit yourself, 8itch."

Aradia stopped screaming. That was a good thing. He hoped she wasn't dead. Except . . . she was supposed to be dead. That was the plan. Right? Yeah, that was the plan, kill Aradia, then run. Everything was starting to blur together in his head, and Karkat grabbing him wasn't helping. He fought against the other because he didn't know what else to do, but he could tell his struggles weren't actually helping anything.

It was only half because of the shock and pain of having his head slammed into the ground that made him stop sparking. He realized he wasn't helping anything. What was the point in continuing to fight? Also his head really hurt, and he was tired and confused and terrified. He tried to jab his knee into Karkat's chest, then groaned and stopped struggling. His friend's face swam in front of him.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ((Note: double update, make sure to read Chapter 13 BEFORE Chapter 14. For your own sanity's sake. Shit gets crazy))

They had won. Finally, they had fucking won. Karkat could hardly keep the grin from spreading across his face at the prospect. The psionic was caught, as was the Handmaid’s meddling descendant. With the new Helmsman installed, the Battleship Condescension would make short work of that miserable pirate vessel and set to its _true_ task: establishing a new empire, preferably one populated by trolls. Sollux barely put up any sort of fight anymore. Maybe he had accepted the inevitable? Far more likely, his think pan was still fluctuating from the beating. But that would pass, and they needed to be ready. 

"HURRY THE FUCK UP, VRISKA." Aradia, despite her caste, was still a powerful chess piece, one that the Condesce was eager to acquire. No time to be fucking around. Vriska hissed at him, but approached the cherry red figure, her palms glowing with energy. But she didn't make it far. From the other end of the corridor, an object came flying, twisting end over end until coming into firm contact with Vriska's skull. She hit the ground hard, despite her weaving fuchsia energy, and staggered to her feet, failing twice before eventually making it up. Blood poured from the fresh wound, dying her hair, her clothes even as it was being healed. On the ground, cerulean blood also coated the weapon in question: a joker's club. 

"MoThErFuCkEr, YoU'D BeSt bE LeAvInG My gOdDaMn fRiEnDs aLoNe iF YoU WaNt tO KeEp aLl tHaT PrEtTy bLuE BlOoD Of yOuRs." Indigo blood spilled across the floor as Gamzee approached, clutching the hole(s) through his chest in one hand while dragging another bloody club behind. He had the murderous look his victims knew so well, but . . . through the fury, Karkat could see that his eyes were clear. This was Gamzee. Just a really pissed off one. Karkat gave Sollux one last shove before getting to his feet, facing off against his once friend. 

"THAT WHOLE JUGGALO CLOWN SCHTICK WHERE YOU CAN'T DIE, NOT EVEN ONE FUCKING TIME, IS GETTING OLD." He had hoped blood loss would keep Gamzee complacent until Karkat's task was completed, but he supposed he had underestimated the regenerative abilities of the indigo blood. "GO BACK TO YOUR VENTS AND LICK YOUR WOUNDS, THIS ISN'T YOUR FIGHT." A piercing pain wracked through Karkat from behind. He was aware of a burning sensation slicing through his shoulder, of hot blood running down his body as he collapsed. The healing energy struggled to keep him alive, but the wound was deep, deep, deep. Had it not been sustaining him . . . Karkat would have most certainly have died. The dark figure of the Marquise stood above him, swinging her sword to rid it of the candy red blood. 

"No. 8ut it is my fight."

"KK, thii2 ii2nt you . . . " A weak protest if there ever was one, but Sollux wasn't really in the state to be incredibly eloquent at the moment. In fact, the idea of passing out was looking more and more appealing, but there was enough terror and fight left in him that that wasn't going to happen. He tried to twist to his side, so he could see what was happening to Aradia, see if there was something he could do to stop it, but when blood spilled to the floor, it wasn't the burgundy he was so familiar with. It took him a second to recognize and place the club. Gamzee. Wasn't he supposed to be dead? Wait no, he couldn't die. Evil then? That's what Karkat had said, right? Sollux started trying to get to his feet again. His struggles were slower and weaker than when Karkat first pinned him, but they were still present. If there was another ally, then maybe not everything was lost, and if not, well if he couldn't protect himself, he had to protect AA. By killing her . . . yeah . . . He opened his mouth to tell Gamzee . . . what? That Karkat was possessed? That Vriska was? That seemed kind of obvious based on the situation. It didn't really matter what he was going to say anyway, because Karkat just shoved him back to the ground. He fell readily enough, although he did start getting up again. There were smears of yellow blood, presumably mostly from his head, where he'd been lying. He noticed the Marquise, but somehow, he didn't quite believe that she'd do what she did. Karkat wasn't _really_ the enemy after all. But, she didn't know that. Or care, most likely. He was close enough that when that blow hit, and Karkat began his descent towards the floor, even as fuchsia energy crackled around his shoulder, Sollux managed to catch him. He was pushed into the wall, but he leant against it, arms wrapped around Karkat, pinning the mutant's own to his side. The grip would be broken if he struggled with any force, but it was something. Sollux tried to raise his chin and look resolute as he looked at Vriska's Ancestor. "theyre both po22e22ed," his eyes flicked to Vriska then back, "help them."

The Marquise spared Sollux glance, minutely pleased that he had survived this long. Mostly surprised, however. "Do not presume to tell me what to do, little descendant.” She would help Vriska, of course. It was a mockery to the Serket name for one of their own to be possessed by a consciousness as foul as that of the Empress, but beyond that she made no guarantees. The infamous pirate did not wait for a reply, merely strolled down the hallway as though she were faced with such profound problems as these every day. Vriska began a low hum of growling as her ancestor approached, settling into an attack position with her sword drawn. They were like twin blades, Mindfang and Vriska; deadly, beautiful, and severe. The tips of their weapons glimmered slightly as they faced off, though Vriska was forced to keep vigilance at her back as well. That clown was still lurking nearby . . . the Marquise smiled coldly, drawing Vriska's gaze. "Vriska . . . how far you have fallen. To 8ecome a plaything of the Empress. Have you no shame?” Vriska hissed, but did not deign to respond. The Marquise's eyebrows raised ever so slightly. "No words to defend youself, puppet? You who would 8e commander of my fleet. Pitiful." The Marquise spat the last word in disgust, her eyes burning like coals. Her descendant paused, shaking feebly as all the vitriolic words she wished to say were halted by the fuchsia ruler's guiding fist. "Shut . . . up . . . " She managed through clenched teeth. No one said those words to Vriska, not even her Ancestor. No . . . wait . . . stop. She gripped her head with one hand. It was all a trick, a trick, a trick. The Marquise stared at her coolly, adjusting the grip on her sword. "Serkets do not 8end the knee." Simply disgraceful. She flew at her descendant, dark blade flickering as she brought it forward. Vriska started and only just managed to put up her own weapon to block, retreating a few steps as the Marquise pushed her back. "Fight, you useless girl. Fight for your honor!” ordered the Marquise. Vriska growled and delivered a blow of her own. And so their bloody dance began.

What . . . the actual fuck? He was with Gamzee . . . . . . no, that wasn't right . . . or was it? He couldn't think straight, couldn't put his shattered thoughts to form a coherent line of thinking. And the pain certainly didn't help. Karkat spat out a mouthful of blood, uncomfortably aware of the taste of it in his mouth, the smell of iron in the air. Through the haze, he wondered dimly why he wasn't on the ground. Oh, right. Sollux. When did he get here? "LET GO OF ME, SOLLUX." he said weakly. So much blood . . . so much pain . . . the fuchsia energy - the fuck was _that_ doing there? - had dimmed around him, most of it concentrated on the gaping hole slicing his chest cavity into nearly two equal pieces. Why couldn't he just die? What _hadn’t_ he died? What . . . ? Karkat started as he began drifting out of consciousness. No, had to stay awake. Fuck, but it hurt so much.

Sollux glared at the Marquise, too tired to pretend to be polite. "fiix them." He wasn't sure if she could. The Empress was more powerful than any other Ancestor, he knew that, but surely her forte wasn't in mind control. The Marquise was . . . likely . . . good enough to prevent from getting possessed herself. If that happened, well, then they were all fucked. He watched the fight between Ancestor and descendant for a moment before his attention was jerked back to Karkat. Karkat who had just said his name without condescension. And who was also bleeding everywhere. "KK? 2hiit, ii cant." He looked around, first to make sure Gamzee wasn't about to finish the job, then to check on Aradia. He looked back at Karkat, arms still around him, then slowly crouched, pulling Karkat down with him so he could sit him up against the wall. He finally let go of the injured troll's arms. "2tay. you have to 2tay. and dont fall a2leep and . . . and don't be an a22." He stood up, then looked at Gamzee again, trying to gauge if the troll was a threat, but he couldn't stay long. He rested his hand on Karkat's uninjured shoulder, lightly shocking him, "stay awake," then ran towards Aradia.

"WILL DO," said Karkat dryly as Sollux wandered off to heaven knows where. His mind started stalling almost immediately, but he fought the sensation, arguing that if he could muster up the energy to be sarcastic, he supposed consciousness wasn't too far of a stretch either. But then the memories started flooding in. He gave an intake of breath in surprise, inflaming the wound to his chest cavity. Good god, what had he done?

Aradia was in a similar situation as Karkat, unfortunately, propped against the wall and unable to extricate herself from it; however her place was probably worse off, given the fighting blue blood trolls not a stone's throw away, getting a bit too close for comfort in the heat of battle. And then there was the insidious shadow of a certain Makara hovering nearby. She didn't know _what_ was running through his head but . . . her vision shifted to the Marquise. She must have gotten here somehow . . . was it possible that Gamzee of all people had opened the link between ships? Aradia tried to get up, groaning and falling back as her injured leg shifted. Nope. Let's not get up just yet. She smiled painfully as Sollux ran towards her, putting on a brave face as was her wont. "hey, sollux. how’s your day going?"

Sollux couldn't be there to indulge in Karkat's likely horror because he had to check on Aradia. God why was there so much blood? He came from the side so he could avoid the dueling Serkets and knelt by Aradia. "2hiit AA, oh my god . . . " he paled a little when he saw her leg. It looked terrifyingly like Karkat's arm had before it grew back. Did he do that? Was he supposed to do more? Did the plan still apply now that they had help? He looked up at her face. "iit could be a whole hell of a lot better. do you need- ii mean that look2 pretty bad . . . " He bit his lip. "fiir2t we need to move you. ii could liift you, iif you uh, iif you hold that." He glanced at her leg, vaguely afraid that if he pulled her up, she'd just bleed out. But that would be better than getting hit by one of the swords next to them.

Aradia knew he was speaking . . . . . . he was speaking, of course he was. But the words sort of . . . washed over her, didn't quite register. "you know . . . energy burns arent supposed to bleed like this. your psionics . . . arent playing by the rules. you should really work on that." No, wait . . . that wasn't important right now. Focus, Megido. She shook her head, but couldn't seem to shake this . . . fog. A thick mist obscuring her mind's eye. She vaguely felt her god tier clothes shimmer out of existence, leaving her in her black symbol shirt, her ripped up skirt. That was bad . . . at least, she _thought_ it was. Couldn't quite remember . . . 

The Marquise held back a gasp as her descendent pinned her against the wall, her sword struggling to keep back Vriska's blow. The younger Serket seemed to be getting stronger as the fight progressed, that damnable fuchsia energy billowing around her, mirroring her movements like a shadow. And while the Marquise was more than a formidable enemy, it was hard to face a foe that refused to grow weary. "What's wrong, Mindfang?" hissed Vriska with a smirk. "You were talking all that 8ig shit earlier, 8ut I don't see you 8acking it up. Where's the great Ancestor I was supposed to look up to?" The Marquise's eyes narrowed. "Don't get cocky, grubling, You're still far outclassed." She dipped to the side, allowing Vriska's sword to skate across the wall as her blow followed, through, and slammed her descendant in the chest with the hilt of her blade. Vriska sucked in a breath and stepped back as the blow fell, but the energy surrounding her took most of the hit. The song of swords rang throughout the corridor once more.

"yeah iill work on that," he commented dryly. Sarcasm was better than accepting that just as everything seemed hopeless it all got . . . worse. It made him feel a little better, just the tiniest bit, about not being able to do anything, about the only thing he _could_ do being the worst thing he could imagine. Still, it was his only option. A healthy Aradia might actually be able to sort out this mess. Or at least help. He started gathering the energy around his hands, trying to think of how to make this as quick and painless as possible. He'd never been so close before, it had never been this personal . . . None of that really mattered when her clothes started to flicker though. Shit shit shit shit. What did that mean? Did she somehow lose her godtier status? Was that a thing? Was the Empress doing this? He shook her, psionic sparks flickering over his hands. "AA!" He looked around. Who could help him? Not Karkat. He didn't trust Gamzee. Vriska and her ancestor were fighting. 

Wait.

He turned back toward the Serkets who he'd been mostly ignoring. He saw the energy protect Vriska, possibly stronger now without Karkat. It was hard to tell, but the point was, they were more evenly matched than they should have been, and Sollux _needed_ the Marquise to win. She'd probably hate him for this, but he decided to interfere. He aimed a psionic blast at Vriska's sword arm.

Red-blue energy crackled against Aradia's skin, unintentional though they were, but she . . . hardly noticed. It was lovely, this haze. No pain, no worries, just the sweet call to sleep. Her eyes blinked, nearly unseeing in the mist. They strayed toward Sollux's face, so full of care and worry. There went his mouth moving again. _speak up, silly,_ she thought, her mind fading fast. _I can't hear you . . ._

The psionic blast seemed to come from nowhere, narrowly missing Vriska's sword arm in the frenzy of battle, instead tearing her blade from her wrist, hurling down the hall, out of sight. Two heads snapped towards the culprit, that fool Sollux standing over a dead girl's body. Or, at least, a soon to be dead girl. The Marquise recovered only a half second before her descendant, but the time was enough. Loathe as she was to use another's interference as leverage, she slammed the hilt of her sword on the crown of Vriska's head, a motion that not even the fuchsia energy could protect her from. The young Serket's eyes rolled slightly in her head, and she collapsed in a heap, the energy surrounding her dissipating with her consciousness. The Marquise heaved a heavy sigh, more tired out from the confrontation than she would care to admit, and knelt by Vriska's body. For now, it was wholly Vriska, but, should she return to reality before being treated, the Condesce's grip would merely take control again. The Marquise placed a gloved hand on Vriska's forehead and closed her eyes.

Karkat watched the proceedings through half-lidded eyes, still writhing in a pit of pain, self-loathing, and anxiety. Just like any normal day, only magnified by a thousand thanks to recent events. Karkat gritted his teeth and tried to sit up, aggravating his wound, but he didn't care. For some reason, the Empress' foul power still clung to him, seeping into the wound, coating his body in a thin layer. The fuck was it still doing there? Not that the power currently keeping him alive was bad at the moment . . . but what did it mean for his mental autonomy? Or Vriska’s? Though, the fucshia power-up didn't seem to help when the Marquise knocked her flat on her ass . . . wait, what?

Karkat watched uncomprehendingly as the Marquise went for Vriska’ forehead. Going to check her temperature like some fucktard lusus, maybe. Karkat shook his head. This psychic shit had always bothered him. Wasn't fair, wasn't right. But here they fucking were anyway. After a few minutes, the Marquise pulled away, wiping the gleaming sweat from her brow, aa grim look on her face. Whatever mindfucking she had pulled on Vriska . . . he guessed it didn’t go well.

The cerulean Ancestor turned on Sollux, and, even from this distance, Karkat could see the coldness of her gaze, the chill that was somehow more frightening than burning rage. Fire would cease, consume itself over time, but ice was implacable and long-lived. "I do not care for your reasoning. If you ever interrupt my 8attles again..." She let the threat hang in the air, and somehow the lack of a tangible threat made the statement that much worse. Karkat shivered slightly. He would take Dualscar as an enemy any day when compared to this creature.

Sollux froze when the two ceruleanbloods turned toward him. Even if he expected that reaction, it didn't make it any less unsettling. Every instinct he had screamed for him to run away from those stares, though he didn't move. Then the Marquise was moving again, and soon enough the battle was over. If she was _that_ mad about Sollux's interference, she would have given Vriska time to recover for attacking. She probably just felt slighted, it would wear off. He watched as she knelt by her descendant, though he couldn't see much of what she was doing. Presumably, Vriska would be herself when she woke up. Hopefully. Now he needed to beg her to help Aradia and Karkat. He straightened up and got ready to make his request, only to pause when she turned toward him first. This time, he wanted to back away from her glare, and he probably would have if he'd had room to move without tripping over Aradia. He nodded quickly to show he understood, then dipped his head and didn't meet her eyes for a bit. Apparently, she felt a little more than just slighted. Now probably wasn't the best time to ask for help. Not that he had much of a choice. He wondered how much the Marquise knew about godtiers. He shook his head slightly. He needed her to help with Karkat, but other than that, he shouldn't press his luck. He looked back down at Aradia. The situation really wasn't looking good. He knelt next her again. "AA, iit2 gonna be okay, the paiin will go away, everythiing2 gonna be better when you come back." She had to come back.She was godtier, that didn't just go away, even if the outfit changed, and there was nothing just about what happened to her so yeah, she should come back. It would be fine. They could laugh about it later.

The Marquise struggled to maintain a calm veneer, despite the overwhelming urge to skewer that idiotic psionic clean through the chest. No one was fonder of tricks than the Marquise, pirate that she was, but for an outsider to insert himself into a battle, especially was as personal this . . . she bit back a growl. In any other situation, she would have evened the playing field herself, for the sake of her own pride. However, they had too much to lose at this point for her to place chivalry above victory. That logic scarcely diminished her rage, though. And her wild emotions were not aided by foreknowledge of what she had to do next . . . the Marquise tightened the grip on her sword, steeling herself. It had been close with the Empress, locked in combat in the close quarters of Vriska’s fevered mind. The Condesce had her coils so tightly ensnared around her descendent, it was a wonder that the Ancestor had gotten out all. The other possessed one, the mutant, she could spy from the corner of her eyes. He would be dealt with as well in due time. For now, she merely addressed the young psionic, careful to keep her voice controlled. “If you truly cared for that girl, you would not allow her such a drawn out and painful end.”

Perhaps he didn’t have the stomach to do what needed to be done . . . The Marquise gritted her teeth, raised her sword, and pierced through Vriska’s heart, as easily as slicing through warm butter. The girl let out a gasp of pain, her back arching in torment, then assumed the silence and stillness of eternal repose. The Marquise forced herself to look, to see what she had done, praying that Vriska’s luck held true; that fate would deem this a neutral death.

Sollux nodded, then turned away, back towards Aradia. As a result, he missed Vriska's skewering, which was probably for the best. It didn't prevent him from hearing the blade ripping through her flesh though, or her final gasp. Was that really necessary? Would she try to do that to Karkat- he had other things he needed to worry about. Aradia. She was dying and . . . He should do something about it.

He gulped, then circled his fingers around Aradia's throat, softly, not even enough pressure to be uncomfortable. "iim 2orry AA" he whispered. Then, fingers beginning to crackle, he moved his hands to her chest, in CPR position, and delivered a shock that would, if everything went right, fuck up the rythym of her vascular pump enough to stop it completely.

_what's wrong, sollux?_ Aradia wondered. She was too weak to put it into words. He looked so sad . . . she wished she could reach up and wipe away his bad expression, but her hand . . . her hand didn't seem to be working right. That wasn't good. He said something else, something . . . she ran the words through her dulled mind a few times before their meaning registered. What an odd thing to say. _sorry . . . sorry for what?_ He wasn't making sense . . . sparking red and blue. What . . . but then the shock came, searing through her chest like lightning, breaking apart her thoughts into nothing. She gasped, loud to her own ears. And then there was nothing. Nothing and silence.

The Marquise wiped the cerulean blood, her own blood, off her blade gently, almost lovingly. Her gaze was passive, a stone wall of implacable control. Karkat didn't trust it . . . didn't trust the Marquise, didn't trust anyone who kept their emotions so easily in check. Fuck, she had just killed her own damn descendant, yet this is her reaction: complete stoicism. Vriska . . . would Vriska even come back? Did this count as a just death because of her possession? Or was it a hero's death, brought about in the blaze of battle? And now Aradia, too . . . what was happening to them? But these thoughts were stalled in Karkat's head as the ancient Ancestor turned her cool gaze onto Karkat. He shivered despite himself. 

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT?" He had meant for the question to come at strong, fearless, but it was shaky and unsure. She did not deign to respond, merely walked forward purposefully. Straight toward him. Karkat shifted slightly, his instincts telling him to get the fuck out of there, but his body blatantly refused to comply. He wasn't in any position to defend himself, not with the pink energy still working its magic . . . but, wait, no. "I'M NOT . . . SHIT, GET AWAY FROM ME, ASSHOLE, I'M NOT BEING CONTROLLED ANYMORE." She didn't respond. Simply walked forward, irresistibly drawn toward the mutant.

Sollux closed his eyes and rested his forehead on her unmoving chest. He just killed Aradia. Again. With his psionics. Again. And there was no guarantee she was coming back. No, her chest wasn't moving. She was dead, as dead as Vriska a couple feet away, as dead as Karkat should be, as dead as he might never experience again. He could pretend at least. He could just sit there until Aradia breathed again and this horrible nightmare came to an end, or until someone came to either kill him or take him away and deprive him of that relief forever. Somehow that didn't even matter that much anymore; he'd killed Aradia, so many of his friends had died for him . . . he probably deserved the Helm at this point. 

The first of Karkat's expletives completely washed over him. It didn't concern him and his conscious mind wasn't willing to deal with what those words could mean right now. They skated over his thinkpan without being absorbed. He stirred at the second sound though. Even if he didn't want to, he could hear the confusion and fear in those words, and they reminded him that he wasn't completely alone yet. He raised his head, then stood up, looking at the Marquise. "iif you kiill him, ii 2wear to god ii will kiill you, ii wiill riip you liimb from liimb one fuckiing diigiit at a tiime." His voice sounded tired, strangely calm, and entirely sincere.

The Marquise paused at the statement, surprised by the venom ensconced there. She hadn't pinned the young psionic to be of hate, of violence. Perhaps if she pushed him, he would even back it up. "Makara. If he moves, kill him." She did not have time for power-tripping lowbloods right now. There were more pressing matters at hand. The Ancestor reached the mutant in a few short strides and grabbed a thick handful of his shirt in one blood-stained hand, hoisting him up and slamming him against the wall. The young Vantas hissed and let loose a stream of curses under his breath, but his eyes showed how frightened he was. The royal energy flowed around him, growing slightly in density, moving away from the wounded area. It seemed he was healed. She would have to hurry. "Where is the Empress, puppet?" Her other hand brought the sword into attack position, ready to skewer this would-be leader for any slight, real or imagined. And she didn't even have to worry about killing him. The Condesce would just bring him back. But not Vriska . . . her grip on his clothes tightened.

Gamzee gritted his teeth as the command from the blueblood fell, but felt his body move in accordance anyway. The Marquise wouldn't kill Karkat, she had promised. She promised, she promised, she promised. Those words, that spoken vow, were the only thing keeping him from rushing over and bashing the motherfucking brains out of the elder Serket. As long as Gamzee followed her orders . . . she would keep her promise . . . right? He stood between Sollux and the infamous blueblood.

Sollux felt his body tense at the Marquise's order. He wasn't going to go back on his threat, Karkat was all he had now. If he died . . . Well, Sollux couldn't deny that even though the threat had been made to attempt to save his friend's life, he wouldn't mind tearing something, someone, especially a highblood, apart. He was going to make her pay for everything that had happened to him, had happened to his friends, to his Ancestor. It didn't matter that she wasn't directly involved, she was there, she'd do. Perhaps he wouldn't be able to live with the guilt of doing that, but given the prospects that awaited him on this ship . . . well, he wasn't really planning on living with it. If she killed Karkat. If he was fine then . . . he'd figure something else out, but if that last piece, that one person that seemed to be holding him together, even just by a thread, went away . . . she would pay. Hell, maybe they'd all pay. Maybe he'd use the last of his energy to tear this cursed ship apart board by board. Destroy the Helm with it. That would actually be a productive use of his life. He growled softly as the Marquise grabbed Karkat, and Gamzee watching or not, began to spark when she raised her sword. If she struck, so would he, and if the indigoblood tried to stop him, he'd deal with him accordingly. He shifted his glare to the clown for a moment before looking over his shoulder to continue to watch Vriska's Ancestor.

Karkat stopped struggling as the tip of the sword hovered in midair and let his hands fall to his sides. He had to look complacent, had to divert the Marquise's weapon to stay alive, or else Sollux . . . Karkat honestly didn't want to consider what his friend would do, but it would be _bad._ The fuchsia energy crackled around him, reacting to his roiling emotions. God, he wished they would stop. Certainly weren't helping his case, as evidenced by the Marquise's pointed question. "HOW THE HELL SHOULD I KNOW? JUST BECAUSE HER IMPERIOUS BITCHINESS MEANDERED THROUGH MY THINKPAN DOESN'T MEAN I'VE GOT A SINGLE FUCKING CLUE MORE THAN YOU," he lied through clenched teeth. The Condesce had done a bit more than meander, but Karkat didn't think a roster of his previous actions would endear him to the Marquise. The memories, oddly disconnected due to the psychic manipulation, played through his mind, allowing the guilt and self-hatred to flare up again. And if the ancestor found out that he was the one who turned Vriska . . . the Marquise's lip curled in disgust. She threw down Karkat with flourish, sending him skidding across the floor. The momentum threw Karkat a good ways down the hall, thoroughly confusing his senses, but one whispered thought was evident: the Marquise, much like Vriska, was a mind reader. And she didn't need a palm to the forehead to search through someone's head. He was a fucking idiot. She stalked after him, sword tip making anxious circles in the air. "You insolent little . . . " She could barely choke down her rage. This little mutant had been the cause. _He_ gave into the Condesce, _he_ took away Vriska's power of will. Karkat tried to move away, but his efforts were halted by the tip of the sword that appeared on his throat in a flash, pricking the soft skin of his neck. The Marquise's eyes burned as she glared down at him. "I will not ask again,” she warned through clenched fangs. “Where. Is. The. Empress?" Karkat met her gaze firmly, determined not to be cowed by his aggressor. Still, he could not help his hand trembling slightly as it raised to point to the ceiling, beyond which he felt _her_ presence, the one whose power now surrounded him. The room shook slightly as tendrils of pink energy thrust their way into the space, accompanied by the high cackling laughter of Her Imperious Condescension.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eyyy, look at that. We actually updated, and in a two-for-one special no less. Unfortunately, this excess of effort does not come without a price. YBR is now on its first (and hopefully last) _official_ hiatus. Schism and I have already made great strides beyond this stopping point, but feel it would behoove the plot to consolidate loose ends and finish the work as a whole before updating again. 
> 
> But, hey, at least we left off on an anticlimactic note, right?
> 
> ~kmarzski

**Author's Note:**

> That's all we have for now, but kmarzski (the other author) and I are doing our best to get chapters up on a bi-monthly basis. 
> 
> While you wait, you can check out the fic's [official blog](http://www.the-yellow-brick-road-rp.tumblr.com) or find the writers themselves at [vanishedSchism's tumblr](http://www.vanishedschism.tumblr.com) and [kmarzski's tumblr](http://www.kmarzski.tumblr.com).


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